As the social distancing and sheltering at home continue amidst a renewed surge in coronavirus cases, ritual (and açaí) can be a fruitful way to mark and honor the time.
Book Club Announcement: The Book of Delights by Ross Gay
Beginning July 15, join us for our new book club featuring some of the delightful essays in Ross Gay’s The Book of Delights.
Take Your Poet to Work: Lucille Clifton
We kick off the 2020 Take Your Poet to Work celebration with beloved poet Lucille Clifton.
Forgotten Classics: “Shakespeare of London” by Marchette Chute
“Shakespeare of London” by Marchette Chute, long out of print, remains one of the best literary biographies of the playwright that we have.
Poetry Prompt: For the Birds
What do you need to push away from in order to take flight? Join Callie Feyen as she considers resistance as a mighty force that’s not just for the birds.
By Heart: ‘Song of Summer’ + New Countee Cullen Challenge
Savor the summer with author Megan Willome as she learns Margaret Wise Brown’s poem “Song of Summer” By Heart.
The Wisdom of Butterflies
Like the butterfly, sometimes we can’t stop who we’re becoming. At those times, says Callie Feyen, all there is left to do is spread our wings and fly.
Pandemic Journal: An Entry on Slacklining and Breathing
Mahalia Cruz reflects on the ways the pandemic—and slacklining—brought important discoveries to the surface.
To Bless the Space Between Us Book Club: Callings & Beyond Endings
In this final installment of our To Bless the Space Between Us book club, we reflect on John O’Donohue’s blessings related to callings and endings.
Poets and Poems: Major Jackson and “Holding Company”
The 2010 collection “Holding Company” by Major Jackson leads the eye and mind to a different understanding and a different context.
Poetry Prompt: Poems of Emergence
The 17-year cicada will emerge this summer. What else is emerging in the world? Join author Callie Feyen as she considers how to write poems of emergence.
Pandemic Journal: An Entry on Where We Go from Here
When the pandemic ends, where do we go next? How do we love life? Katherine Anne Porter and Mahmoud Darwish show the way.
Poems to Listen By: Under the Canopy 09—Eternity [Bonus Episode]
In a bonus Under the Canopy episode, Laurie Klein shares “Eternity” from Tracy K. Smith, reminding us to consider, where would we be without trees?
To Bless the Space Between Us Book Club: Thresholds, Homecomings & States of Heart
In this week’s To Bless the Space Between Us, we consider John O’Donohue’s blessings for thresholds, homecomings and states of heart.
Poetry as a Way of Ordering Experience: “The Music of Time” by John Burnside
Poetry can be a way to bring meaning and order to one’s life, writes John Burnside in “The Music of Time: Poetry in the Twentieth Century.”
Poetry Out Loud: When Poems Become Magic Cloaks
Poetry memorization and recitation can be like a magic cloak, with the power to transform and transport students. Learn great tips for how to start, from theater teacher Dana Kinsey.
Children’s Book Club: ‘The Runaway Bunny’
For this month’s Children’s Book Club, we read Margaret Wise Brown’s classic picture book ‘The Runaway Bunny,’ featuring a song by the Zac Brown Band.
Pandemic Journal: An Entry on Caring from a Distance
One of the great challenges of the pandemic is connecting with loved ones, especially our elders. Sandra Heska King reflects on caring for her father from 1500 miles away.
Pandemic Journal: An Entry on Peaceful Writing on the Porch
The contraction of the world we interact with during the pandemic has led Bethany Rohde back to her porch, with her journal, to experience the enchantment of sightings in the back yard.
To Bless the Space Between Us Book Club: Beginnings & Desires
In the first installment of our new book club, we consider the act of blessing and reflect on some of John O’Donohue’s blessings for “Beginnings” and “Desires.”