Sarah Ruden uses six of Sylvia Plath’s poems to tell the poet’s story, stripping away political iconography to reveal the poet’s achievement.
A Novel in Verse: “Eugene Nadelman” by Michael Weingard
Michael Weingard writes a coming-of-age novel in verse. If you came of age in the 1980s, certain cultural icons and events are likely imprinted in your brain.
Poet Laura: Fables and Foxy Chickens
Sandra Fox Murphy—and Chaucer—find poems and chickens make for good company in Sandra’s latest Poet Laura column.
Poets and Poems: James Sale and “DoorWay”
With “DoorWay,” poet James Sale completes his epic trilogy, “The English Cantos,” and creates a stellar poetic experience.
50 States of Generosity: Rhode Island
From coffee milk and johnny cakes to Lovecraft and Poe, Rhode Island is a fascinating place (and a home to gorgeous sites from the Gilded Age!).
Poets and Poems: Bruce Lawder and “Breakwater Rock”
In “Breakwater Rock,” poet Bruce Lawder shows you can’t really go home again, except possibly in your own memory.
Collage: Unwrapping Gifts from the Quiet
Bethany Rohde takes on an experiment in “no incoming words” and finds her creative interests take new turns in this collage essay.
Poets and Poems: Patricia Clark and “O Lucky Day”
In “O Lucky Day,” Patricia Clark has assembled a collection of meditative poems that pull you to a place you didn’t expect to go.
Poetry Prompt: The Phoenix
The bottom line with the phoenix, regardless of its colors, is the bird’s rebirth or regeneration, most usually from the ashes of a fire that consumed the prior bird.
10 Ways to Help Your Favorite Introverted Author: 1,000 Words
Your favorite introverted author would love your help (though they might not ask). Here is a fun way to help their book find new audience.
Poets and Poems: L.L. Barkat and “Beyond the Glass”
With “Beyond the Glass,” poet L.L. Barkat followed a month of writing prompts and broke though seven years of a writing block.
A History of Children’s Stories: “The Haunted Wood” by Sam Leith
In “The Haunted Wood,” author and journalist Sam Leith tells the history of children’s literature and how it changed as culture changed.
World War II Had Its Poets, Too
It wasn’t just World War I. Two anthologies illustrate the prolific outpouring of poetry during World War II.
Czeslaw Milosz, 1946-1953: “Poet in the New World”
“Poet of the New World” collects the poems written by Czeslaw Milosz from 1946 to 1950, reflecting the turmoil of violence and upheaval.
10 Ways to Help Your Favorite Introverted Author—Day 1: The Basic
Your favorite introverted author would love your help (though they might not ask). Here is one way you can begin.
Poets and Poems: Alfred Nicol and “After the Carnival”
Poet Alfred Nicole, in his new collection “After the Carnival,” finds both the evil and the good in human existence.
Poet Laura: Gardens and Grandpa
Sandra Fox Murphy, Tweetspeak’s Poet Laura, welcomes Spring with a reflection on gardening and flower poems.
Poets and Poems: Kelly Belmonte and “The Mother of All Words”
The sense of living a loved life pervades ‘The Mother of All Words’. The collection doesn’t suggest smugness or even satisfaction, but more of a sense of gratitude.
An Anthology on Reading and Writing Poetry
“The Poetry Reader” by Mark Yakich is an anthology of poems about reading and writing poetry.
Poets and Poems: Lisa Marie Basile and “Saint Of”
Lisa Marie Basile names the events of life for obscure saints, most of which you’ve never heard of but know very well.