Jack Kerouac gave the name to the Beat Generation of writers and poets. In the more than 50 years after his death, he’s become an American legend.
September Beat: The Beat Poets
The Beat poets – Kerouac, Ginsberg, O’Hara, others – were unconventional in their writing and lives, and had a major impact on American culture.
Poets and Poems: Luci Shaw and “Scape”
Written with a perceptive and understanding eye, the poetry collection “Scape” by Luci Shaw is about the beauty of creation and the creative act.
Poets and Poems: Alexander Blok and “The Stranger”
In his lifetime, Alexander Blok was considered one of the finest of all Russian poets. He still carries that accolade today.
Laura Inman and “The Poetic World of Emily Brontë”
“The Poetic World of Emily Brontë” by Laura Inman is a wonderful way to be introduced to her poetry, seen through the lens of her novel “Wuthering Heights”
Poets and Poems: Boris Pasternak and “February”
“February: Poems” by Boris Pasternak reflect the poet (and novelist’s) experience of living in a Russia marked by war, revolution, civil war, and oppressive communism.
Poets and Poems: Robinson Jeffers and “Selected Poetry”
Robinson Jeffers (1887-1962) was a significant poet in the 1920s and 1930s, and then forgotten until rediscovered by the environmental movement.
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.”
Poets and Poems: Marina Tsvetaeva and “My Poems”
Russian poet Marina Tsvetaeva (1892-1941) used love as a compass in her poetry, in the face of monumental tragedies she experienced in her country.
Poets and Poems: Wendell Berry and “This Day”
“This Day, ” Wendell Berry’s new collected Sabbath poems, remind us of the wholeness, consistency and beauty of his literary writing.
Take Your Poet to Work: W. B. Yeats
Have you chosen your favorite poet for Take Your Poet to Work Day? W. B. Yeats joins our growing collection of ready-for-work poets today.
Anna Akhmatova and the Poetry of Resilience
Russian poet Anna Akhmatova experienced personal tragedy, war, revolution, civil war, and Stalinist repression, and still wrote haunting poetry.
Poets and Poems: Thomas Merton and “In the Dark Before Dawn”
Thomas Merton continues to exert a significant pull on the imagination, the intellect, and the conscience.
Maya Angelou: The Poetry and Life of Reinvention
Maya Angelou was an unlikely candidate for literary success. But she reinvented herself, more than once.
Poets and Poems: Ron Padgett and “Collected Poems”
“Collected Poems” by Ron Padgett covers more than 50 years of work, summing up a life lived in the creation of poetry.
Poets and Poems: Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn and “Prussian Nights”
“Prussian Nights” by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn reminds us that victory in war doesn’t automatically mean moral superiority over an enemy.
Poets and Poems: Robert Frost, Wendell Berry, and the Woods
Comparing two poems – one by Robert Frost and one by Wendell Berry – allows insights into the minds of both poets we might not have otherwise.
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.”
Poets and Poems: Robert Frost and “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”
“Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” by Robert Frost helped define poetry for millions of American Baby Boomers. It is still influential today.
Interview with Poet Patty Paine (Part 1): Write Fearlessly
“[H]aving a routine is necessary. There’s a difference between committing to a set period of time to write and needing the universe to align in order to write.” ~ Patty Paine