Two books on William Blake, “Eternity’s Sunrise” by Leo Damrosch and “Blake: A Biography” by Peter Ackroyd, provide an in-depth look at the artist and poet.
Poets and Poems: Yahia Lababidi and “Balancing Acts”
Egyptian-American poet and writer Yahia Lababidi is in love with words. That sounds like a trite thing to say – shouldn’t most poets be in love with words?
Poetic Voices: Teow Lim Goh and Marjorie Maddox
Teow Lim Goh seeks meaning in an immigration detention center, while Marjorie Maddox seeks spiritual understanding in the the study of literature.
Charles Sorley and the Poetry of World War I
Charles Sorley (1895-1915) was a poet whose “When You See Millions of the Mouthless Dead” was one of the best-known poems of World War I.
Poetic Voices: Kelly Hansen Maher and Heather Derr-Smith
Poets Kelly Hansen Maher and Heather Derr-Smith write about lives as women, one on miscarriages and the other on relationships.
“Poetry: A Survivor’s Guide” by Mark Yakich
Poet and teacher Mark Yakich takes a serious and irreverent look at reading and writing poetry in “Poetry: A Survivor’s Guide.”
Poetic Voices: Elizabeth Onusko and Athena Kildegaard
Poetry collections by Elizabeth Onusko and Athena Kildegaard show how poetry can diagnose society’s illnesses and problems.
“The Joy of Poetry” by Megan Willome
“The Joy of Poetry” by Megan Willome tells the story of her mother and herself, what poetry can do in a person’s life, and what it does in all of our lives.
“The Year of Lear: Shakespeare in 1606″
“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.