In “Mariner: A Voyage with Samuel Taylor Coleridge,” Malcolm Guite tells the story of the poet’s life through the words and themes of his most famous poem.
2016 National Book Award Winner: “The Performance of Becoming Human” by Daniel Borzutzky
“The Performance of Becoming Human” by Daniel Borzutzky won the National Book Award for Poetry, and its 18 poems confront political and social issues.
“The Children of Hurin” and “The Lay of Aotrou & Itroun” by J.R.R. Tolkien
Before “The Hobbit” and “The Lord of the Rings,” there were “The Children of Hurin” and “The Lay of Aotrou & Itroun” by J.R.R. Tolkien.
T.S. Eliot Prize: “Jackself” by Jacob Polley
Jacob Polley’s poetry collection “Jackself” won the T.S. Eliot Poetry Prize for 2016, and it’s a work filled with folklore, childhood, and imagination.
Poets and Poems: Kathryn Nuernberger and “The End of Pink”
James Laughlin Award winner “The End of Pink” by Kathryn Nuernberger is a wild, exuberant poetry collection, sitting there at the frontier of imagination.
The Writing Life: Paterson’s Blank Page
In the film Paterson, Charity Singleton Craig finds the routine of doing the same thing in the same place day after day forms a canvas on which to create.
St. Valentine’s Day Story: A Girl, a Priest, and a Letter
St. Valentine’s Day may be a huge industry today, but it started with an imprisoned priest, a young girl, and a letter in ancient Rome.
Poetic Voices: Susan Lewis and Shanna Powlus Wheeler
Susan Lewis develops a theme of uncertainty in “Heisenberg’s Salon”; Shanna Powlus Wheeler interprets childhood and memory in “Lo & Behold.”
Poets and Poems: Mark Doty and “Deep Lane”
“Deep Lane” by Mark Doty includes nine poems with the title of “Deep Lane, ” and creates a sense of emotional if not physical distance.
Poetic Voices: Sandee Gertz Umbach and Lori Lamothe
Collections by Sandee Gertz Umbach and Lori Lamothe demonstrate how poets shape their words and images to communicate what inspires them.
Fill in the Blank Verse for Poetry at Work Day
2017’s Poetry at Work Day left a few blanks to fill in, but also offered asteroid-mission limericks and a neurological rage against the dying of the light.
It’s Poetry at Work Day 2017! Join with Us to Celebrate!
It’s Poetry at Work Day 2017! Join Tweetspeak Poetry in celebrating how poetry infuses our work and our workplaces, whatever and wherever they are.
Reading Together: Rita Dove’s ‘Thomas and Beulah’
Megan Willome’s reading of Rita Dove’s Thomas and Beulah is a reminder that sometimes the moments that change us most aren’t the ones that make the news.
Book Club Announcement: Dark Times Filled with Light, by Juan Gelman
We announce our upcoming book club, reading together the poems of Juan Gelman’s Dark Times Filled With Light, taking to heart his encouragement to “find room in one another, humans.”
Poets and Poems: John Sibley Williams and “Disinheritance”
“Disinheritance” by John Sibley Williams is a beautiful, moving collection of poems dealing with grief, both real and imagined.
Twitter Party: The Odyssey and The Wooded Isle, Part 2
Part 2 of Tweetspeak’s recent poetry party on Twitter was guided by prompts from “The Odyssey” by Homer, and 10 would-be Homers produced some epic poems.
Poets and Poems: Matt Duggan and “Dystopia 38.10”
In “Dystopia 38.10, ” poet Matthew Duggan takes the post-apocalyptic idea of dystopia and vividly applies it to contemporary society.
Poetic Asides: Norman Nicholson and Frank Stanford
Reading poetry can lead to the discovery of other poets and their poetry, such as what happened when other poets led to Norman Nicholson and Frank Stanford.
A Window into Poetry and Change with Jane Hirshfield
In times of great change – political, social, economic – we turn to poetry to make sense of what seems nonsensical, to comfort, to explain, says poet Jane Hirshfield.
Forward Prize for Best First Collection: “Wife” by Tiphanie Yanique
“Wife, ” winner of the Forward Prize for best first collection, challenges our notions of what marriage mean, but ends up reaffirming the idea of commitment.