Do you want to fall in love with poetry? Memorize a poem (or thirty-six). This By Heart column shows how—with time and tea.
Poems to Listen By: Moonstruck 02—Facts About the Moon
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On Finishing a Poem & the Top of Your Head
Emily Dickinson and a group of young divers help Callie Feyen by the side of the pool as she ponders how to go about finishing a poem.
Poets and Poems: Paul Willis and ‘Somewhere to Follow’
“Somewhere to Follow,” the new poetry collection by Paul Willis, invites the reader to find the sacred in the everyday.
Children’s Book Club: Frog and Toad series
Meet best friends, Frog and Toad, in the award-winning ‘Frog and Toad Are Friends’ series by Arnold Lobel. Join us for Children’s Book Club!
Poet Laura: On Independence Day I Found a Butterfly
The butterfly heralds the arrival of summer and invites childlike wonder. Our Poet Laura, Laura Boggess, shares a butterfly story and three butterfly poems.
Poets and Poems: Claude McKay and ‘Harlem Shadows’
Almost a century later, the poems of “Harlem Shadows” by Claude McKay remain a statement for recognition, courage, and determination.
Poetry Prompt: The Poetry of Ordinary Time
What magic can you find in your ordinary life, during ordinary time? Join Callie Feyen for a poetry prompt about the magic in the ordinary.
Reading Generously: Happy Endings
Are happy endings audacious? For this month’s Reading Generously column, Megan Willome considers the hope they offer.
Poems to Listen By: Moonstruck 01—The Wind and the Moon
There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.
Poets and Poems: Dan Rattelle and “The Commonwealth”
In the simple, spare poems of “The Commonwealth,” Dan Rattelle explores the ideas of place and community, taken in their broadest sense.
By Heart: ‘From Blossoms’ Peaches Poem by Li-Young Lee
Join us and bite into the round jubilance of peaches as we learn Li-Young Lee’s poem “From Blossoms” By Heart.
On Rest, Hammocks, and Wasting a Life With James Wright
What does it mean to waste a life? Melissa Poulin explores James Wright and how, from the hammock’s viewpoint, wasting a life and living fully might be inextricably intertwined.
Poets and Poems: Carl Phillips and “Pale Colors in a Tall Field”
“Pale Colors in a Tall Field” by Carl Phillips invites you into a dream, asking unexpected if important questions.
Poetry Prompt: So Many Other Better Things To Do
Callie Feyen finds poetry for the crisis, both external and internal. Join her for a summer poetry prompt about what to do besides worry.
50 States of Generosity: Wisconsin
We continue our 50 States of Generosity series with a focus on Wisconsin and its state fruit: the cranberry. Plus poetry!
Teacher Stories—My First Villanelle (Thank You, How to Write a Form Poem!)
So much is changing—has changed—in this world. Rebecca D. Martin finds a deep leaving-truth in her first villanelle and her first experience as a teacher.
Grammar for a Full Life Book Club: On Becoming Less Possessive
Are your possessive pronouns making you hold onto things a little too tightly? Charity Singleton Craig says loosen your grip, in the final installment of Grammar for a Full Life book club.
Was Tolkien Influenced Only by the Middle Ages? Holly Ordway Says No
In “Tolkien’s Modern Reading,” Holly Ordway persuasively argues that the literary influences on J.R.R. Tolkien were broad and diverse.
Poetry Prompt: Name Poems
What stories does your name hold, and how do they shape who you are and how you live? Join Callie Feyen for a name poems prompt.