“Instructions for Use” by Arlene Demaris includes poems expressing both tenderness and an edge, something very human and very real.
Poet Laura: One Fine July Day
As the United States celebrates its 250th birthday Donna Hilbert, Tweetspeak’s Poet Laura, reflects on past Julys and a visit from the divine Lucy and Polly.
Poets and Poems: Christy Lee Barnes and “Commodore Rookery”
In her new chapbook, “Commodore Rookery,” Christy Lee Barnes uses poetry to navigate motherhood in unexpected ways.
10 Things Poets & Writers Can Do with the Small Moments
The small moments add up. What if we reclaimed them for our creativity? What new art might bubble up? Or, what new life directions?
Philip Freneau: Poet of the American Revolution
Philip Freneau, friend of James Madison and Thomas Jefferson, is known as the poet of the American Revolution.
Poets and Poems: Bradford Skow and “American Independence in Verse”
In “American Independence in Verse,” Bradford Skow draws upon historical documents for poems that illustrate the run-up to revolution.
New Video! — Brookhaven | Civil War Novel + Prompt
Check out this video for the civil war novel ‘Brookhaven.’ A beautiful glimpse of a book that reviewers have said is “immensely satisfying.”
Poets and Poems: David Livewell and “Pass and Stow”
In “Pass and Stow,” poet David Livewell describes the layers of people and events that together compose a life.
Sara Barkat Takes Us into “Otherside”
“Otherside” by Sara Barkat is a creative, imaginative science fiction novel telling the story of a young man caught in war, loss, and grief.
Poetry in Prose—Where Love Is Born
I love a good story. But it’s in the telling—in the sounds of the words, and in the echoes and depths of expression—that my love for a novel is born.
“The Boundless Deep”: Richard Holmes on the Young Tennyson
In “The Boundless Deep,” Richard Holmes shows how science influenced the early poems of Alfred, Lord Tennyson.
Poets and Poems: Fanny Howe and “This Poor Book”
In her final poetry work, Fanny Howe accounted for her life by using her poetry collections as a biography and memoir.
Bringing Characters to Life—1
When you want to bring a character to life, what do you reach for? Enjoy this sample of backstory. Then write a poem or vignette to try it out yourself.
New Video! — Otherside | Jason “Anchored Only by Memories”
Check out this video for the new novel ‘Otherside’: “Anchored by Memories.” — What are *you* anchored by?
The Overseas Trip Where Language Didn’t Matter
A mission trip to central Europe didn’t require knowledge of languages; instead, what was needed was music, menus, laughter, and silence.
Poet Laura: Going Fishing with Dad
Our Poet Laura, Donna Hilbert, reflects on learning about the food chain with her father as we meander into these summer days.
Poets and Poems: Erin Murphy and “Swoon”
In “Swoon: New & Selected Poems,” Erin Murphy combines stories about a life with poems about poetry, showing life is poetry.
Top 5 Queer Walt Whitman Poems
Read this collection of top 5 queer Walt Whitman poems from the Calamus poems, in his exploration of the love of comrades.
Poets and Poems: Diane Lockward and “The Color Wheel”
“The Color Wheel,” edited by Diane Lockward, shows how the use of color can amplify a poem and even exist as a poem.
Poets and Poems: Joanne Esser and “Nothing Is Stationary”
In “Nothing Is Stationary: Poems,” Joanne Esser reflects carefully and succinctly on the impermanence of life.