In “Railsplitting,” poet Maurice Manning crawls inside the head of Abraham Lincoln, recalling and imagining his life, struggles, and legacy.
Creating an ‘I Love Poetry Moment’: Magic City’s Ashley M. Jones
For National Poetry Month, create an ‘I Love Poetry Moment,’ following the example of Ashley M. Jones and the Magic City Poetry Festival.
By Heart: ‘Dippold the Optician’ and William Blake Challenge
Join author Megan Willome as she learns a little wisdom poetry By Heart—’Dippold the Optician’ from Edgar Lee Masters’ ‘Spoon River Anthology.’
Poet Laureate Joy Harjo: Grace, Rain, and Other Mysteries
Author Megan Willome considers grace, rain, and other mysteries inherent in the poetry of Joy Harjo, the new U.S. poet laureate.
Poets and Poems: Benjamin Myers and “Black Sunday”
In “Black Sunday,” Benjamin Myers uses poetry to explore and illustrate what happened to the people and the land during the Dust Bowl of the 1930s.
Poetry, Fiction, or What? “The Long Take” by Robin Robertson
“The Long Take” by British poet Robin Robertson, shortlisted for the 2018 Man Booker Prize, is a poetry book, a novel, and a noir movie.
Poets and Poems: Darren Demaree and “Two Towns Over”
The 56 poems of “Two Towns Over” by poet Darren Demaree powerfully document the devastation of the opioid addiction crisis.
A Night of Cowboy Poetry — Poems, Songs, and Cowpunchers
Poetry, music, and cowpunchers took the stage for “A Cowboy’s Night in old Texas.” Megan Willome wore her red boots.
The Mythic and Heroic: “The Song of Hiawatha” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
“The Song of Hiawatha” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow is a beautiful story about a heroic leader who loses what he holds most dear.
The Poetry of the Visiting Card: Miss Jennie Todt meets Catherina Gerhard
A visiting card in an 1899 edition of “Longfellow’s Complete Poems” leads to stories of German immigrants, St. Louis history, and even beer.
Childhood, Poetry, and History: “The Courtship of Miles Standish”
Reading “The Courtship of Miles Standish” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow brings memories of childhood, poetry, and history.
The Poem as Modern Myth: “Evangeline” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
“Evangeline” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow resurrected an almost forgotten event in Canadian and American history and helped shaped a regional people.
Our Best-Known Patriotic Poem: Longfellow Visits a Church
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow climbed the stairs of the Old North Church tower in Boston in April, 1860; the result was America’s best-known patriotic poem.
The Pulitzer Prize for Poetry: “Olio” by Tyehimba Jess
The Pulitzer Prize-winning poetry collection “Olio” by Tyehimba Jess bends poetry our of its familiar groove to tell a story few Americans know.
Poets and Poems: Frank Stanford and “The Light the Dead See”
Frank Stanford (1948-1978) embodied William Wordsworth’s “The Child is father of the Man” in both his life and his poetry.
2016 Pulitzer Prize: “Ozone Journal” by Peter Balakian
“Ozone Journal’ by Peter Balakian, winner of the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for poetry, challenges, provokes, and helps us to see in a different light.
Walt Whitman in Brooklyn: Newspapers and “Leaves of Grass”
Walt Whitman lived for 22 years in Brooklyn, and the city exerted a powerful influence on his poetry, especially “Leaves of Grass.”
Poets and Poems: Donald Hall and “Selected Poems”
Donald Hall says he can’t write poetry any more. His new “Selected Poems” demonstrates the sufficiency of what he’s written.
Robert Frost and “The Road Not Taken”
Author David Orr argues that “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost is both the best known and most misunderstood American poem.
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.