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.
Persecuted Poets: Hearing the Voices Beyond Our Borders
Now, perhaps more than ever, it’s important to make room in our literary conversations for those poets whose voices were, or have been, or are still silenced because they dared to be our lanterns.
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.
Forward Prize: “Measures of Expatriation” by Vahni Capildeo
Forward Prize winner Vahni Capildeo and her “Measures of Expatriation” challenge our notions of what a poetry collection is and can be.
William Wordsworth: “The Prelude” and the Poetry of Revision
Some 24 manuscripts, dated from 1798 to 1839, exist for “The Prelude, ” the autobiographical poem by William Wordsworth; they show the poetry of revision.
William Wordsworth and the Language of the Common Man
Influenced by the American and French revolutions, William Wordsworth wrote poetry that used common language and spoke to feelings and imagination.
Don Paterson: Poet of Light and Dark in Life and in Ourselves
Don Paterson is an important voice in British poetry and letters. He writes of both the light and the dark in life and in ourselves.
Poets and Poems: Frank Stanford and “The Light the Dead See”
Frank Stanford (1948-1978) embodied William Wordsworth’s “The Child is father of the Man” in both his life and his poetry.
Poets and Poems: Mohja Kahf and “Hagar Poems”
In “Hagar Poems, ” poet Mohja Kahf tells and retells the biblical story of Hagar, Abraham, and Sarah, weaving threads between ancient and contemporary times.
Chaucer and The First Great English Poem
“The Canterbury Tales” by Geoffrey Chaucer wasn’t the first poem in English, but it was the one to mark English becoming the official language of Britain.
Poets and Poems: Leon Stokesbury and “You Are Here”
“You Are Here” by Leon Stokesbury combines new poems and previously published poems to provide insight, emotion, and even humor.
Poetic Voices: Stephanie Rogers and Katie Manning
New collections by poets Stephanie Rogers and Katie Manning are infused with a sense of loss, displacement, and a grittiness that fits their subjects.
Jen Karetnick: Pondering the Often Invisible
In two new poetry collections, poet Jen Karetnick asks us to consider the reality behind what is often invisible, be it illness or climate change.
More than a Broken Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen
Songwriter Leonard Cohen is also a poet, and in “Songs and Poems, ” he mixes song lyrics with poetry, suggesting there’s little difference.
A Mistake Becomes a Discovery: John Holmes
A wrong shipment by Amazon turned into a discovery of poet John Holmes (1904-1962), who wrote his own poetry and encouraged other poets.
Reading ‘Spoon River Anthology’ for the Third Time
“Spoon River Anthology” is one of the great works of American literature, and reading it a third time yields new insights.
Norman Nicholson: Poetry of Landscape and the Environment
British poet Norman Nicholson deserves to be remembered for his beautiful poems of the Cumbrian and western Lake District landscape.
Finding Edna and Winifred in the Antique Shop
For 75 cents, Glynn Young purchases a book of poems by Edna St. Vincent Millay and considers both the poet and the woman who wrote her name on the inside cover.