Two recent poetry collections, by Shelley Puhak and Jennifer Sweeney, illustrate how well poetry can convey the idea of longing.
Awards by the Academy of American Poets
The Academy of American Poets has announced the recipients of its annual awards, including Robert Hass, Brian Blanchfield and Hannah Sanghee Park.
Finding Eliot in St. Louis
Finding T.S. Eliot in St. Louis, where he was born and raised, is not an easy task, but he’s there, most of all in his poetry.
Poetic Voices: Molly Fisk and Miriam Bird Greenberg
Imagery is a critical aspect of poetry, and using it well, as Molly Fisk and Miriam Bird Greenberg do, significantly enhances the strength of the writing.
The Circus: The Last Hurrah of Childhood
The circus was spectacular, and it was meant to be. Everything seemed oversized – the elephants, the horses, even the tiny car filled with an impossible number of clowns.
Poetic Voices: Paula Marie Coomer and Donna Vorreyer
Poets Donna Vorreyer and Paula Marie Coomer write about their lives, showing us that poetry is work and it is like windows into the soul.
Poets and Poems: Hart Crane, “The Bridge” and Me
Reading “The Bridge” by Hart Crane is an exploration into the love for the literature of Realism and Modernism – and the reasons for that love.
Poetic Voices: Megan Fernandes and Sandra Marchetti
Two poets – Megan Fernandes and Sandra Marchetti – write words that linger in the memory long after the books are closed.
How to Write a Poetry Review
One approach for how to write a poetry review is to follow the “Five Ws and One H” that flowed from the journalism philosophy of Walter Lippman.
Poets and Poems: Susan Lewis
Poet Susan Lewis asks how we can fully understand each other, and she does it within the frameworks of both prose poetry and the more familiar verse form.
The 6 Most Overused Words in Poetry Reviews
Six words are nominated for the “Most Overused Words in Poetry Reviews Hall of Fame.” And three more are contenders.
Poetic Voices: Rachel Heimowitz and J.L. Jacobs
In recent collections Rachel Heimowitz and J.L. Jacobs deal with the sense of place – contemporary Israel and the places of childhood and imagination.
Twitter Party: Slivers of Plum at Midnight
Tweetspeak Poetry’s most recent Twitter party resulted in ten poems about lemonade, lightning, bread, gears, a locomotive, and an equation — of bees.
Poetic Voices: Jehanne Dubrow and Sally Kindred
Jehanne Dubrow uses form and substance for the poems of “The Arranged Marriage, ” while Sally Rosen Kindred uses the metaphor of flowers in Book of Asters.
Poets and Poems: Sarah Blake and “Mr. West”
Poet Sarah Blake wrote 46 poems about rapper Kanye West, an “unauthorized biography” that speaks profoundly about popular culture today.
Poetic Voices: Sheila Squillante and Jessica Goodfellow
The poetry of both Sheila Squillante and Jessica Goodfellow presents the familiar in completely new terms, clarifying or uncovering insights and ideas.
Poetry at Work: The Poetry of Retirement
The poetry of retirement is the freedom to experiment with new forms, new structures, and new language in what we call a life.
Poetic Voices: Allison Carter and Maggie Smith
Allison Carter explores echoes and space, calling them ghosts, while poet Maggie Smith creates fables for contemporary readers.
Poets and Poems: Wendell Berry and “Terrapin”
The poems of “Terrapin and Other Poems” by Wendell Berry contain an essential and childlike innocence; the illustrations by Tom Pohrt match that innocence.
Poetry for Life: Transport It—on Seattle Buses
Seattle’s Poetry on Buses has been sharing poems with King County public transit riders since 1992. It’s a great example of “Poetry for Life.”