“The Year of Lear: Shakespeare in 1606” by James Shapiro is a masterful re-creation of a critical year in the life of William Shakespeare.
Poets and Poems: Danniel Schoonebeek and “American Barricade”
Danniel Schoonebeek’s “American Barricade” is an important collection blending the personal with the social and stressing the importance of language.
Using T.S. Eliot to Explain PTSD
In fictional and almost poetic form, Andy Owen describes what has gone by such names as shell shock and battle fatigue but we know as PTSD.
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.
Poets and Poems: Dave Harrity and “These Intricacies”
In his new collection of poems, Dave Harrity tells stories with simplicity and clarity, firmly planted in his Kentucky landscape.
Poetic Voices: Chelsea Rathburn and Kristina Marie Darling
Two recent collections by Chelsea Rathburn and Kristina Marie Darling both deal with grief, but it is a grief different from that over physical death.
Poetry for Life: Poems on the Underground
“Poems on the Underground” collects some 230 poems which have been posted on the London Underground since 1986.
Poetic Voices: Joan Murray and Ellen Kombiyil
In two recent collections, poets Joan Murray and Ellen Kombiyil demonstrate the power of poetry for telling stories.
Robert Crawford on the Young T.S. Eliot
Robert Crawford’s “Young Eliot: From St. Louis to The Waste Land, ” is a wonderfully in-depth biography of the early years of the 20th century’s major poet.
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.
Poetic Voices: Shelley Puhak and Jennifer K. Sweeney
Two recent poetry collections, by Shelley Puhak and Jennifer Sweeney, illustrate how well poetry can convey the idea of longing.
Poetic Voices: Molly Fisk and Miriam Bird Greenberg
Imagery is a critical aspect of poetry, and using it well, as Molly Fisk and Miriam Bird Greenberg do, significantly enhances the strength of the writing.
Poetic Voices: Paula Marie Coomer and Donna Vorreyer
Poets Donna Vorreyer and Paula Marie Coomer write about their lives, showing us that poetry is work and it is like windows into the soul.
How to Write a Poetry Review
One approach for how to write a poetry review is to follow the “Five Ws and One H” that flowed from the journalism philosophy of Walter Lippman.
Poetic Voices: Rachel Heimowitz and J.L. Jacobs
In recent collections Rachel Heimowitz and J.L. Jacobs deal with the sense of place – contemporary Israel and the places of childhood and imagination.
Poetic Voices: Jehanne Dubrow and Sally Kindred
Jehanne Dubrow uses form and substance for the poems of “The Arranged Marriage, ” while Sally Rosen Kindred uses the metaphor of flowers in Book of Asters.
Poets and Poems: Sarah Blake and “Mr. West”
Poet Sarah Blake wrote 46 poems about rapper Kanye West, an “unauthorized biography” that speaks profoundly about popular culture today.
Poetic Voices: Sheila Squillante and Jessica Goodfellow
The poetry of both Sheila Squillante and Jessica Goodfellow presents the familiar in completely new terms, clarifying or uncovering insights and ideas.
Poetic Voices: Karen Paul Holmes and Claire Trevien
Karen Paul Holmes and Claire Trevien examine marriage failure and the problems of living in a shipwrecked house, respectively, in recent poetry collections.
Poetic Voices: Jessica Goodfellow and Michalle Gould
Jessica Goodfellow tackles the poetry of natural elements, while Michalle Gould consider the artistic imagination engaging the meaning of death.