After more than a year of pandemic-induced isolation, I was able to go home again—in this case, a bookstore.
Poetry Prompt: Choose Risk Over Cuteness —The Acrostic Poem
Think the acrostic poem is too cute? Think again. Join Callie Feyen and Tania Runyan and see how risky the form can be.
Poets and Poems: James Tweedie and “Mostly Sonnets”
“Mostly Sonnets” by James Tweedie shows how the poetic form can also be used for important subjects other than love.
Poets and Poems: Brad Lussier and “How Does He Love Me?”
The 47 sonnets of “How Does He Love Me?” by Brad Lussier remind us that love is transcendent, eternal and unchanging.
An Epic Told in 500 Sonnets: “The Gift of Life” by Amanda Hall
In “The Gift of Life: An Epic in Verse,” poet Amanda Hall employs some 500 sonnets to tell a story of love amid contemporary life and culture.
Poet-a-Day: Meet Marjorie Maddox
Why write a pantoum? Poet Marjorie Maddox shares her reasons, on the wings of poetry and song.
A Novel About Hughes and Plath: “Your Story, My Story” by Connie Palmen
In the novel “Your Story, My Story,” Dutch author Connie Palmen tells an unexpected story of the poets Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath.
By Heart: ‘One Art’ + New Tess Gallagher Challenge
What have you lost today? Poet Elizabeth Bishop’s “One Art” invites us into the art of losing in this month’s By Heart.
Poets and Poems: Osip Mandelstam and “Poems”
Osip Mandelstam (1891-1938) was a leading poet in the Silver Age of Russian poetry, until ran afoul of the Stalinist regime.
Poets and Poems: Chandra Gurung and “My Father’s Face”
The 47 poems of “My Father’s Face” by Chandra Gurung point to the contradictions of life inherent in all cultures and societies.
Poetry Prompt: Small Things
Join author Callie Feyen as she acknowledges some beastly feelings, and through the gift of small things, turns them into poetry.
Poets and Poems: Charles Hughes and “The Evening Sky”
The poetry of “The Evening Sky” by Charles Hughes speaks to the mortality of life and focusing on what truly matters.
Poets and Poems: Samuel Hazo and “The Next Time We Saw Paris”
“The Next Time We Saw Paris” by Samuel Hazo is a poetry collection filled with wisdom, understanding, and the directness of experience.
Poetry Prompt: The Villanelle
Feeling all the feelings these days? Consider containing them (and letting them breathe) in a villanelle.
Poets and Poems: River Dixon and “Lost in the Hours”
The dreams of “Lost in the Hours,” the new poetry collection by River Dixon, offer reflection and respite, focusing on what matters.
Poets and Poems: Damien Donnelly and “Eat the Storms”
In “Eat the Storms,” poet Damien Donnelly explores the layered meanings of color. allowing us different readings and different meanings.
Poetry Prompt: Unhoped Joy
What does joy that is unhoped for look like? Join author Callie Feyen as she explores the warmth of gloves and other gifts from the pandemic.
Poets and Poems: James Matthew Wilson and “The Strangeness of the Good”
“The Strangeness of the Good” by James Matthew Wilson celebrates the things in life that endure and that we share in our common humanity.
Poets and Poems: Laura Reece Hogan and “Litany of Flights”
“Litany of Flights” by Laura Reece Hogan leaves us with a sense of wonder, the same wonder we feel when we see mountains for the first time.
How Blogging Works for Writers: Think Seasons
Author Megan Willome shares how blogging works, through seasons, and why she is currently letting the space lie fallow.