Two recent collections by Chelsea Rathburn and Kristina Marie Darling both deal with grief, but it is a grief different from that over physical death.
The Poetry of World War I
Tim Kendall’s anthology “Poetry of the First World War” explains how poetry came to be so connected with “the war to end all wars.”
Poem Analysis: Matthew Arnold’s Dover Beach
“The sea is calm tonight…” An evocative poem analysis focusing on the imagery in Matthew Arnold’s Dover Beach. Insightful and helpful…
Interview with Poet Patty Paine (Part 2): Poetry Can Save You
Poet Patty Paine confides that “poetry, the reading and the writing of it, has saved my life.”
The Poetry of Walking, History and Houses
A stroll, even in familiar neighborhoods, can prompt reflection, imagination, discovery, and insight. Perhaps it could be called the poetry of walking.
Coming Home to Scotland and Scottish Poetry
Surprised by Scotland, a writer finds herself taken by her past, her present with Scottish poets, and maybe (who knows) her future.
Poetry at Work: The Poetry of Regime Change
There is poetry at work in the most convulsive of organizational upheavals, often called regime change. Charles Bukowski’s poem helps understanding.
Poets and Poems: Grace Schulman’s “Without a Claim”
Grace Schulman’s new collection of poems “Without a Claim” creates quiet repose in the face of discontinuity. Can poets and poems make sense of this?
Night Poetry: Darkness and Villanelle Poems
Try your hand at a night poem that easily captures the ambiguity of darkness, simply by virtue of its form.
Poets and Poems: R.S. Thomas’s “Poems to Elsi”
Poets and Poems looks at “Poems to Elsi” by R.S. Thomas, which provides insight into the Thomas marriage of more than 50 years.
Poets and Poems: Jean Sprackland’s “Sleeping Keys”
Jean Sprackland’s “Sleeping Keys” quietly underscores the importance of what lies unrecognized and forgotten—a thoughtful selection for Poets and Poems.
Ghazal Poetry: Sing the Old Songs
Ghazal poetry was traditionally a sung form, invoking other traditional symbols like the gazelle. Invoke an old song image for your own?
Tattoo Poetry: Inked with an Author Prompt
Get inked with your author; give us a poem that tells the tale.
Rock ‘n Roll Poetry Prompt: Blue Suede Shoes
What kinda shoes rock you? Put ’em in a poem, and rock us too.
Poetry Classroom: After
Want a great poetry discussion? Start with simple breathing.
Poetry Classroom: Meteorology
Welcome to our poetry classroom with Marjorie Maddox Hafer. Today we’re discussing the relief in a storm.
Poetry for Isaac and Ishmael
This is not the poetry of Mideast politics but the poetry of people – peoples – caught up in Mideast politics, whether the scene is set in the Auschwitz death camp or the Aida refugee camp.
I See You in There: the Villanelle
Like most poetry built on refrains, the villanelle steers away from narrative ideals, away from conversation and linear exchange
Donald Hall’s “The Back Chamber”
From the time I was 8 until I was 14, I spent a week each summer at my grandmother’s house in Shreveport. I would sleep in the second bedroom, which was always called “the back room” even though it and my grandmother’s bedroom formed the back of the house. It was the room with a […]
National Poetry Month: Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe published his 1st poetry collection in 1827, at 18 years old. A tendency to run up debts & gamble kept him in constant state of reinvention.