Author Megan Willome considers grace, rain, and other mysteries inherent in the poetry of Joy Harjo, the new U.S. poet laureate.
Ask Pearl: Vamping Vapers, Organizing Stacks, Filling the Hollow Leg
Pearl Jenkins answers a new set of reader questions with advice on vaping, organizing, and filling a grandson’s hollow leg.
Adjustments Book Club: We Note Our Place With Book Markers
How does friendship play a role in identifying, and going on to meet, our needs? Explore the relationship between new friends Will and Joe in Rick Maxson’s first Adjustments Book Club installment.
W.H. Auden’s “September 1, 1939″ – The Biography of a Poem by Ian Sansom
“September 1, 1939” is one of Auden’s most famous poems. But British writer Ian Sansom sees the flaws. His biography of the poem and the poet is marvelous.
Poetry Prompt: Inventory Poetry
Join author Callie Feyen as she takes an inventory of her kitchen and finds many prompts for poetry.
Friendship Project: The Best of Friends
Our truest friends bring something out of us that we might not have the strength or courage to see if it weren’t for them. Callie Feyen reflects on true and best friends.
Songwriting and Writing: “Adorning the Dark” by Andrew Peterson
“Adorning the Dark” by writer and songwriter Andrew Peterson speaks to the mystery at the center of writing, creativity, and inspiration.
Children’s Book Club: “Dotty”
How many imaginary friends can you count in the classroom? Find out in author Megan Willome’s new book club selection, ‘Dotty’ by Erica S. Perl.
Ask Pearl: Up on the Rooftop, a Problem with Groceries, Shameless Flattery
In this week’s Ask Pearl column, Pearl wrangles questions … about on sitting on the roof to see the stars, hanging out with other people’s boyfriends, and the best way to grocery shop.
Poets and Poems: David Russell and “An Ever River”
The poems of “An Ever River” by British poet David Russell remind us that we are part of a larger whole that continues, even when damaged and mended.
Poetry Prompt: Cookie Poems
What’s the best cookie you ever ate? Why was it so good? Join author Callie Feyen for a poetry prompt about cookies and a couple of fantastic friends.
Reader Come Home: “Adjustments”
Come learn the secrets of being a deep reader as we read ‘Adjustments,’ a very funny book about a man not unlike Keats. And share your October pages in our Reader, Come Home roundup.
Book Club Announcement: Adjustments by Will Willingham
The best books are those that invite us into a world we would never have thought to enter. Adjustments by Will Willingham is such a book and such a world. Join Richard Maxon for our latest book club discussion beginning Nov. 18.
“The Art of the Essay” Book Club: True
Meaningful essays are capital-T True. Learn how to write essays that endure in the final meeting of ‘The Art of the Essay’ book club.
A Poetic Novel to Turn You Upside Down: “Lanny” by Max Porter
In “Lanny,” British author Max Porter bends literary and artistic genres, creating a work that’s about art and its wonderful and fearsome effects.
Poetry Prompt: Mysterious Observation turned into Poetry
What mysteries do you notice throughout your day? Join author Callie Feyen as she attempts to help a young writer turn those mysteries into a prompt for poetry.
By Heart: “South of the Cap Rock” + New Shakespeare Challenge
Join author Megan Willome as she learns Carlos Ashley’s’ “South of the Cap Rock” By Heart. And Mrs. George Reece speaks from the grave in praise of poetry memorization, for truth and beauty’s sake.
Watch Out: Poetry Can Hijack the Heart
Poetry, poetry. Oh, great poetry. This is the mantra of many who love the form, but it’s sometimes good to remind ourselves that, in and of itself, there is no purity to poetry. The bad actor can use it, as well as the good.
Poet Laura: Allow Me to Introduce and Explain Myself
Our inaugural Poet Laura, Tania Runyan, reflects on the business of the season, the perfect time to realize that one doesn’t have time *not* to write.
“The Art of the Essay” Book Club: Slant
In a tell-all environment, how do we write essays when we can’t tell it all? We tell it slant. Join us for our book club on ‘The Art of the Essay.”