Poetry has considerable practical value for the business of speechwriting: using language differently, the power of poetic techniques, thinking differently.
Dana Gioia’s “Pity the Beautiful: Poems”
It’s rather startling to read contemporary poetry that rhymes. And Pity the Beautiful: Poems by Dana Gioia is startling in exactly that way, and more. There’s a name for this, of course; we have to give everything a name: The “New Formalism.” It reaches back to a time when most poetry did indeed rhyme, and […]
Poetry at Work: Dana Gioia on Poetry in Business
The conventional American wisdom is that poets “must be people out of the ordinary; they must be strong, even eccentric individuals.” In other words, Walt Whitman fits our preconceived notions; Wallace Stevens, corporate lawyer, does not.
Poetry at Work: Dana Gioia and Can Poetry Matter?
In his 1991 Atlantic essay ‘Can Poetry Matter, ‘ Dana Gioia argued that poetry had been captured by academia and disconnected from its reading public.
Poetry at Work: PowerPoint as Poetry
Most PowerPoint presentations try to eliminate all white space with words. Presenters should approach PowerPoint like poetry, using as few words as possible.
Poetry at Work: The Best Job You Ever Had
It was only when I started writing poems that I began to understand that good and bad jobs, and best and worst jobs, often walk hand in hand.
Poetry at Work: What Poetry Brings to Business
In “What Poetry Brings to Business, ” Clare Morgan combines academic and business styles to explain the benefits poetry can provide to business enterprises.
Poetry at Work: Poetry at Work Day
Fortune 500 professional Glynn Young pinpoints almost the exact time he became aware that poetry inhabited his work. He was a corporate speechwriter…
The Art and Music of “Four Quartets” by T.S. Eliot
“Go, go, go, said the bird: human kind / cannot bear very much reality.” Glynn Young recalls his first reading of Four Quartets, which T.S. Eliot wrote over six years, the last three poems during the London Blitz.
Poetry at Work: Christmas Day
For all of you, and so many more, you who are bringing us the poetry of your work today, we thank you.
Poetry at Work: Workplace Challenges and Problems
Writing poetry about conflicts, challenges, and problems in the workplace can help lead to understanding and, sometimes, resolution.
Poetry at Work: Ted Kooser, Insurance Underwriter (and Poet Laureate)
Glynn Young tells the story of acclaimed poet Ted Kooser, former U.S. Poet Laureate, who spent most of his working career in the insurance industry.
A Winner for the Emily Dickinson Giveaway
Glynn Young announces a winner for the free copy of Kristin LeMay’s “I Told My Soul to Sing: Finding God with Emily Dickinson.”
The Poetry of the Boss
Workplace leadership hasn’t been the subject of much poetry, but a poem about a boss offers the possibility of understanding and possibly forgiveness. Glynn Young asks you to consider the boss through a poetic lens to explain, celebrate, understand, or even forgive.
Finding God with Emily Dickinson (and a Giveaway)
In “I Told My Soul to Sing: Finding God with Emily Dickinson, ” Kristin LeMay uses 30 poems to navigate the rocks of belief, prayer, and mortality. LeMay’s Dickinson is remarkably human. Glynn Young reviews this new volume and has a giveaway.
Networking Poetry on LinkedIn
People in numerous walks of work life believe poetry is important enough to include in their professional networking profiles. Glynn Young shows us that poetry is alive and well on LinkedIn.
Poetry and Memory: Thomas Lux’s “Child Made of Sand”
“Child Made of Sand” is not the poetry of youth; it is the poetry of wisdom and understanding. Glynn Young reviews Thomas Lux’s new collection of poems.
A Giveaway Winner for ‘Prayers of a Young Poet’
We announce the winner of the giveaway for “Prayers of a Young Poet” by Rainer Maria Rilke.
5 Ways Poetry Can Reduce Stress at Work
Few jobs today are stress-free or even low-stress: not enough resources, not enough people, reorganizations and layoffs, clashes between work and family demands, and more. Workplace stress has been the new normal for at least the last two decades. Glynn Young has five ways to use poetry to relieve stress at work.
Poetry at Work Day: Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2013
Work happens everywhere. So does poetry. It’s time to put the two together and see what happens.