Tweetspeak Poetry

  • Home
  • Prompt Series—FREE
  • For Writers
  • Daily Poem-Subscribe! ✨
  • Teaching Tools
  • Books, Etc.
  • Patron Love

Looking for Workplace Wisdom: It’s Poetry at Work Day 2020

By Glynn Young 6 Comments

I am here in the timeless room of lost poetry joy harjo quoteIt’s Poetry at Work Day 2020, and I went looking for wisdom literature about work. Many of us have had experiences with work, jobs, employment, and bosses that might make us doubt whether the word “wisdom” even belongs in the same sentence with “work.” While we all have stories to tell, it’s clear that wisdom can be found in the workplace. One of the best pieces of advice I was given as a developing corporate speechwriter was to read the poetry of T.S. Eliot, Wallace Stevens, and Dylan Thomas. These three high priests of modernist poetry offered more than their profound poetic insights and how things could be said in a speech; they offered a way of looking at and understanding the world.

My search took me to lists of great books about business and work. Fortune has a list. CNBC has a list. Amazon has a book about the top 100 business books of all time. Bloggers have lists. I found almost as many lists of best business books as I did books.

A few books seemed to make all the lists: First Break All the Rules by Marcus Buckingham and the Gallup Organization; Reengineering the Corporation by Michael Hammer and James Champy; Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies by Jim Collins and Jerry Porras; Good to Great by Jim Collins; In Search of Excellence: Lessons from America’s Best-Run Companies by Thomas Peters and Robert Waterman; The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey; Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell; The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing by Al Ries and Jack Trout; Competitive Advantage: Creating and Sustaining Superior Performance by Michael Porter; and The One-Minute Manager by Kenneth Blanchard and Spencer Johnson.

Several books made the “all-time classics about work and business” lists: My Years with General Motors by Alfred Sloan Jr.; The Principles of Scientific Management by Frederick Winslow Taylor; Out of the Crisis by W. Edwards Deming; How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie; and Management by Peter Drucker.

I also had some surprises. Three non-business books that I’ve read at one time or another are still considered books of general wisdom that can apply to business, management, and work: The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith; The Art of War by Sun Tzu; and Meditations by Marcus Aurelius. If you know of others, note them in the comments below.

For Poetry at Work Day 2020, we’re looking for wisdom in the workplace. It may be a story you have, something you experienced, a book about work or business you’ve read, or a poem you were inspired to write. Remember that the definition of “workplace” is as broad as the work people do. Consider sharing what you find or write on social media as well, using the #poetryatworkday hashtag. And please include it in the comments below — we’d like to celebrate this day with a followup report next week.

We have considerable resources to help you find and celebrate Poetry at Work Day. They’re all found here at Tweetspeak Poetry, and they include some simple activities, a free “Celebrate Poetry at Work” ebook, 10 great poems about work, a free 2020 Poetry at Work poster, and even a free excerpt from my book, Poetry at Work. Wherever you work, and whatever you might do, let us know in the comments how you celebrated Poetry at Work Day.

Related:

Resources for Poetry at Work Day 2020

Post by Glynn Young.

Browse more book reviews

__________________________

How to Read a Poem by Tania Runyan How to Read a Poem uses images like the mouse, the hive, the switch (from the Billy Collins poem)—to guide readers into new ways of understanding poems. Anthology included.

“I require all our incoming poetry students—in the MFA I direct—to buy and read this book.”

—Jeanetta Calhoun Mish

Buy How to Read a Poem Now!

  • Author
  • Recent Posts
Glynn Young
Follow Glynn
Glynn Young
Editor and Twitter-Party-Cool-Poem-Weaver at Tweetspeak Poetry
Glynn Young lives in St. Louis where he recently retired as the team leader for Online Strategy & Communications for a Fortune 500 company. Glynn writes poetry, short stories and fiction, and he loves to bike. He is the author of Poetry at Work and the Dancing Priest Series. Find Glynn at Faith, Fiction, Friends.
Glynn Young
Follow Glynn
Latest posts by Glynn Young (see all)
  • Poets and Poems: James Tweedie and “Mostly Sonnets” - April 20, 2021
  • Poets and Poems: Brad Lussier and “How Does He Love Me?” - April 12, 2021
  • An Epic Told in 500 Sonnets: “The Gift of Life” by Amanda Hall - April 6, 2021

Related

❤️✨ Sharing is caring

Filed Under: article, poetry and business, Poetry at Work, Poetry at Work Day

Comments

  1. Maureen says

    January 14, 2020 at 10:37 am

    Books by women? Here are a few (feel free to add to the list):

    Anything written by Brene Brown
    ‘Men Explain Things to Me’ and Anything Else by Rebecca Solnit
    ‘Becoming Wise’ by Krista Tippett
    ‘In the Company of Women: Inspiration and Advice from over 100 Makers, Artists, and Entrepreneurs’ by Grace Bonney
    ‘That’s What She Said: Wise Words from Influential Women’ by Kimothy Joy
    ‘The Female Lead’ by Edwina Dunn
    ‘Beautifully Said’ by Pauline Weger et al. (Also ‘Grit & Grace)
    ‘Take Joy: A Writer’s Guide to Loving Craft’ by Jane Yolen
    ‘The Moment of Life: How Empowering Women Changes the World’ by Melinda Gates
    ‘Becoming’ by Michelle Obama
    ‘Bring Your Human to Work’ by Erica Keswin
    ‘Comebacks at Work: Using Conversation to Master Confrontation’ by Kathleen Kelley Reardon
    ‘Beating the Workplace Bully: A Tactical Guide to Taking Charge’ by Lynne Curry
    ‘The Power of Positive Confrontation’ by Barbara Pachter

    Reply
  2. Glynn says

    January 14, 2020 at 11:12 am

    Maureen, when I looked at the lists for roughly the last 50 years, most — almost all — of the business books on the lists were by men, one by a woman that was relatively recent was “Lean In” by Sheryl Sandberg. But I was looking as “business” books primarily, and ones that were still selling well over several decades. Many of the ones you cite will likely be added over time. Thanks for noting them.

    Reply
    • Maureen says

      January 14, 2020 at 4:54 pm

      I used the words “books written by women AND wisdom” in my search. And I’ve read a good number of the books I cited. There are so many ways to find wisdom in reading what these women and so many more have to say; it’s their wisdom that got them where they are, plus persistence and a lot of common sense.

      Reply
      • Maureen says

        January 14, 2020 at 4:55 pm

        I should add I also used the word “work” in that same search with those other terms.

        Reply
  3. L.L. Barkat says

    January 14, 2020 at 7:19 pm

    Thank you, Glynn, for bringing this great collection of titles. (I’m surprised that I’ve read most of them!).

    And I’m thankful to Maureen, too, for the additional titles. I just ordered the Tippett one from the library. 🙂

    Reply
  4. Sandra L King says

    January 15, 2020 at 11:41 am

    What about the book of Proverbs? King Solomon asked for wisdom to carry out the business of Israel. For fun, I searched for “proverbs business” and found a book titled, “Proverbs for Business” by Steve Marr.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Take How to Read a Poem

Get the Introduction, the Billy Collins poem, and Chapter 1

get the sample now

Welcome to Tweetspeak

New to Tweetspeak Poetry? Start here, in The Mischief Café. You're a regular? Check out our April Menu.

Patron Love

❤️

Welcome a little patron love, when you help keep the world thoughtful and poetic.

5 FREE POETRY PROMPTS

Get 5 FREE inbox poetry prompts from the popular book How to Write a Poem

Join the Club

Join the poetry club, when you become a subscriber to Every Day Poems ✨

Now a Graphic Novel!

"Stunning, heartbreaking, and relevant illustrations"

Callie Feyen, teacher

read a summary of The Yellow Wallpaper

meet The Yellow Wallpaper characters

Your Comments

  • Tammy Cook on National Poetry Month Book Giveaway—Tell Us Your Personal Poetry Story to Enter!
  • Tammy Cook on National Poetry Month Book Giveaway—Tell Us Your Personal Poetry Story to Enter!
  • Crystal Rowe on National Poetry Month Book Giveaway—Tell Us Your Personal Poetry Story to Enter!
  • L.L. Barkat on National Poetry Month Book Giveaway—Tell Us Your Personal Poetry Story to Enter!

Featured In

We're happy to have been featured in...

The Huffington Post

The Paris Review

The New York Observer

Tumblr Book News

Stay in Touch With Us

Categories

How to Write Poetry

Learn to Write Form Poems

How to Write an Acrostic

How to Write a Ballad

How to Write a Catalog Poem

How to Write a Ghazal

How to Write a Haiku

How to Write an Ode

How to Write a Pantoum

How to Write a Rondeau

How to Write a Sestina

How to Write a Sonnet

How to Write a Villanelle

Free Printable Poet Bios

Browse all poet bios now

Shakespeare Resources

Poetry Classroom: Sonnet 18

Common Core Picture Poems: Sonnet 73

Sonnet 104 Annotated

Sonnet 116 Annotated

Character Analysis: Romeo and Juliet

Character Analysis: Was Hamlet Sane or Insane?

Why Does Hamlet Wait to Kill the King?

10 Fun Shakespeare Resources

About Shakespeare: Poet and Playwright

Top 10 Shakespeare Sonnets

See all 154 Shakespeare sonnets in our Shakespeare Library!

Explore Work From Black Poets

About Us

  • • Generous-Annual Theme 2021
  • • Our Story
  • • Meet Our Team
  • • Literary Citizenship
  • • Poet Laura
  • • Poetry for Life: The 5 Vital Approaches
  • • T. S. Poetry Press – All Books
  • • Contact Us

Write With Us

  • • 5 FREE Poetry Prompts-Inbox Delivery
  • • 30 Days to Richer Writing Workshop
  • • How to Write Form Poems-Infographics
  • • Poetry Club Tea Date
  • • Poetry Prompts
  • • Submissions

Read With Us

  • • All Our Books
  • • Best Love Poetry
  • • Book Club
  • • Charlotte Perkins Gilman Poems Library
  • • Every Day Poems
  • • Literacy Extras
  • • Literary Analysis
  • • Poems to Listen By: Audio Series
  • • Poet-a-Day
  • • Poets and Poems
  • • VerseWrights Journal
  • • William Blake Poems Arts & Experience Library
  • • William Shakespeare Sonnet Library
  • • 50 States Projects

Celebrate With Us

  • • Poem on Your Pillow Day
  • • Poetic Earth Month
  • • Poet in a Cupcake Day
  • • Poetry at Work Day
  • • Random Acts of Poetry Day
  • • Take Your Poet to School Week
  • • Take Your Poet to Work Day

Gift Ideas

  • • Give the Gift of Every Day Poems
  • • Our Shop
  • • Everybody Loves a Book!

Connect

  • • Donate
  • • Blog Buttons
  • • By Heart
  • • Shop for Tweetspeak Fun Stuff

Copyright © 2021 Tweetspeak Poetry · Site by The Willingham Enterprise · FAQ & Disclosure