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.”
Rethinking the Role of the Poet: Essays by Micah Mattix
“The Soul Is a Stranger in This World” by Micah Mattix takes a refreshing look at familiar contemporary poets—and at the role of poetry itself.
Poetry Prompt: Finding Poetry from Fear
Author Callie Feyen takes a dare to write nature poetry, finding inspiration from daredevil Robert Frost.
A Ritual to Read to Each Other: Of Mysteries and Monsters
Author Megan Willome considers what mysteries and monsters have in common during her monthly reading roundup, A Ritual to Read to Each Other.
Grief, a Leaf, and Haibun Magic
Through a time of grief, Michelle Ortega discovered the haibun, and its interplay with haiku and prose poem forms, offered a place of reflection and healing.
Wild Words Book Club: Ending to Begin
A season of finishing can also be a time for a beginning. And seasons of retreat can be opportunities for turning outward. Callie Feyen concludes her book club discussion of Nicole Gulotta’s Wild Words this week.
It Was a Marvelous Year: “The Making of Poetry” by Adam Nicholson
In “The Making of Poetry,” Adam Nicolson tells the story of William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge in 1797-98, when they created some of the greatest poetry written in the English language.
By Heart: a blessing poem for the exhausted + new Margaret Wise Brown challenge
Return to your self, dear soul. Join us in learning John O’Donohue’s poem “For One Who Is Exhausted, A Blessing” By Heart.
Pandemic Journal: An Entry on Cut Fruit
With adult children back at home during the pandemic, it can feel like a return to the way things were. And then again not really. Dheepa Maturi has a beautiful Pandemic Journal entry.
Wild Words Book Club: Finding And Using Your Wings
In this week’s Wild Words book club discussion, Callie Feyen considers the liminal spaces we find ourselves in, and how we emerge from them to new ways of being.
Book Club Announcement: John O’Donohue’s To Bless the Space Between Us
When naming his book of blessings To Bless the Space Between Us, it was surely not John O’Donohue’s intent to reflect on social distancing.
Poets and Poems: S.R. Jakobi and “Antiques & Curios”
The 96 poems of “Antiques & Curios” by S.R. Jakobi tell the story of a love affair between an older man and younger woman, one that continues in memory.
In the Company of Poets: Basecamp
Two members from Basecamp’s support team share how working in the company of poets helps them do their jobs with empathy and clarity.