“The Elegy Beta: Poems” by Mischa Willett utilize the idea of the elegy, reflecting seriously and somberly on life, faith, suffering, and beauty.
Poets and Poems: Angela Alaimo O’Donnell and “Andalusian Hours”
In “Andalusian Hours,” poet and writer Angela Alaimo O’Donnell has created a tribute to Flannery O’Connor, one of the 20th century’s most original writers.
Wisdom Literature: “Desert Tracings” – Six Arabian Odes
In “Desert Tracings,” Michael Sells translates six pre-Islamic Arabian odes created in the oral tradition of Bedouin tribes before the rise of Islam.
Poetry Prompt: Focus on End Words
This week author Callie Feyen reads the picture book ‘David Gets In Trouble’ and invites us to focus on end words. Do they make a mini-poem?
Poets and Poems: Aaron Brown and “Acacia Road”
The 47 poems of “Acacia Road” by Aaron Brown are set in Chad and describe a place that is beautiful, tragic, and beloved.
Poetry Prompt: Like a Love Song
There are many ways to express love (some are quite silly). Take a drive with author Callie Feyen and her teenage daughter and listen to some love songs.
Poets and Poems: Daniel Leach and “Voices on the Wind”
“Voices on the Wind” by poet Daniel Leach is a collection of classical poetry centered in a rich tradition bubbling below the surface of modern poetry.
Poetry Prompt: What Silence Does
Join author Callie Feyen as she considers silence — what it is, what it does, and whether it’s useful. Then write a poem about it.
Poetry Prompt: What Grows From Bright Darkness
Join author Callie Feyen as she considers how the month of January and how the bright darkness can help usher in our hopes and dreams for the new year.
Wisdom Literature: The Aphorisms of Yahia Lababidi
“Signposts to Elsewhere,” a collection of aphorisms by poet Yahia Lababidi, is a beautifully rendered work, full of poetry and wisdom.
Poets and Poems: Juliette van der Molen and “Anatomy of a Dress”
“Anatomy of a Dress” by poet Juliette Van Dermolen is a short collection of poems that are strong enough not to need the author’s explanation.
Listening to Poets in the Sounds of Silence
The Shaw Nature Reserve southwest of St. Louis is a place where silence reigns, and good conversations can be had with poets.
“Chaucer: A European Life” by Marion Turner
“Chaucer: A European Life” by Marion Turner is a significant work of scholarship on the context of the life of Geoffrey Chaucer.
Prompt: A How-To Story
What rituals do you practice in your writing routine? Join author Callie Feyen in following how-to poetry prompts (or journal entries, stories, or collages).
Poets and Poems: Edward Holmes and “Bravery & Brevity”
“Bravery & Brevity,” the new poetry collection by Edward Holmes, is written from a place of transformation, moving from pain to hope.
Poet Laureate Joy Harjo: Grace, Rain, and Other Mysteries
Author Megan Willome considers grace, rain, and other mysteries inherent in the poetry of Joy Harjo, the new U.S. poet laureate.
W.H. Auden’s “September 1, 1939″ – The Biography of a Poem by Ian Sansom
“September 1, 1939” is one of Auden’s most famous poems. But British writer Ian Sansom sees the flaws. His biography of the poem and the poet is marvelous.
Poets and Poems: David Russell and “An Ever River”
The poems of “An Ever River” by British poet David Russell remind us that we are part of a larger whole that continues, even when damaged and mended.
Simon Armitage, the New British Poet Laureate
Simon Armitage is the new British poet laureate, and his most recent collection, “The Unaccompanied,” shows a poet at the top of his art.
Nature and “Dream Work”: We Had Mary Oliver for a Time
Poet Mary Oliver showed us how to employ nature to come to terms with where we come from, and to point to where we might be going.