“The Kingdom,” the new chapbook by poet Matt Duggan, returns to what’s past, leaving you wondering if the past never really was.
Poets and Poems: Nigel Kent and “Saudade”
The poems of “Saudade” by U.K. poet Nigel Kent remind us that, even in the deepest regret, one can find a melancholy pleasure.
‘The Yellow Wall-Paper’ Book Club: The Thing With Feathers
Join author Megan Willome as we read a graphic novel of “The Yellow Wall-Paper” using Emily Dickinson’s poem “‘Hope’ is the thing with feathers–” as our guide.
Marjorie Maddox Writes Poems about Reading and Writing Poems
In “Inside Out,” Marjorie Maddox has assembled a series of poems about reading and writing poems. The poems show rather than tell, and it’s great fun.
A Ritual to Read to Each Other: Reading for Earth’s Sake
Join author Megan Willome as she plunges into Ted Chiang’s ‘The Great Silence,’ with a parrot as a guide, just in time for Poetic Earth Month.
Great Poetry as Seen by Comic Artist Julian Peters
In “Poems to See By,” comic artist Julian Peters illustrates 24 well-known poems, and in the process interprets meaning and adds understanding.
Poets and Poems: Mischa Willett and “The Elegy Beta”
“The Elegy Beta: Poems” by Mischa Willett utilize the idea of the elegy, reflecting seriously and somberly on life, faith, suffering, and beauty.
Poets and Poems: Angela Alaimo O’Donnell and “Andalusian Hours”
In “Andalusian Hours,” poet and writer Angela Alaimo O’Donnell has created a tribute to Flannery O’Connor, one of the 20th century’s most original writers.
A Ritual to Read to Each Other: Reading Aloud
Join author Megan Willome as she enjoys reading aloud in the new column, A Ritual to Read to Each Other. This month, the gifts unique to audiobooks.
Wisdom Literature: “Desert Tracings” – Six Arabian Odes
In “Desert Tracings,” Michael Sells translates six pre-Islamic Arabian odes created in the oral tradition of Bedouin tribes before the rise of Islam.
Buried in the Basement: “Tolkien’s Lost Chaucer” by John Bowers
A significant work by J.R.R. Tolkien on Chaucer sat unnoticed in a library basement for 60 years. “Tolkien’s Lost Chaucer” tells the story.
Wisdom Literature: The Aphorisms of Yahia Lababidi
“Signposts to Elsewhere,” a collection of aphorisms by poet Yahia Lababidi, is a beautifully rendered work, full of poetry and wisdom.
“Chaucer: A European Life” by Marion Turner
“Chaucer: A European Life” by Marion Turner is a significant work of scholarship on the context of the life of Geoffrey Chaucer.
Poets and Poems: Edward Holmes and “Bravery & Brevity”
“Bravery & Brevity,” the new poetry collection by Edward Holmes, is written from a place of transformation, moving from pain to hope.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Simon Armitage, the New British Poet Laureate
Simon Armitage is the new British poet laureate, and his most recent collection, “The Unaccompanied,” shows a poet at the top of his art.