Poetry is there for us in times of sorrow and joy. You step into the poet’s shoes, which makes you feel better, safer, known.
Poets and Poems: Donna Hilbert and “Threnody”
“Threnody” by poet Donna Hilbert reminds us that lament is inspired by grief, which is in turn inspired by deep love.
Children’s Book Club: ‘Goodnight Star, Whoever You Are’
When a child loses someone, a story can be a helpful way to discuss grief. Jodi Meltzer’s “Goodnight Star, Whoever You Are” is one such story.
Poets and Poems: Sr. Sharon Hunter and “To Shatter Glass”
The 56 poems of “To Shatter Glass” by Sr. Sharon Hunter strive to make sense of a life filled with pain, grief, and suffering.
Poets and Poems: Peter A and ‘Art of Insomnia’
The poems of “Art of Insomnia” by Peter A tell the story of a profound grief, a loss so devastating that the poet questions his existence.
Poet-a-Day: Meet David K. Wheeler
How best to write tragedy? Poet David K. Wheeler suggests the soft sorrow of the pantoum.
Grief, a Leaf, and Haibun Magic
Through a time of grief, Michelle Ortega discovered the haibun, and its interplay with haiku and prose poem forms, offered a place of reflection and healing.
Poets and Poems: Shanna Powlus Wheeler and “Evensong for Shadows”
Shanna Powlus Wheeler’s first full poetry collection, “Evensong for Shadows,” suggests the omnipresence of grief — a measure of the loss of love or happiness or relationship, and very much a part of life.
Novel, Poetry, Both? Max Porter and “Grief Is the Thing with Feathers”
“Grief Is the Thing with Feathers” by British author Max Porter is officially a novel, but it could also be poetry, or something else. And it’s wonderful.
Poets and Poems: Simon Armitage Translates “Pearl”
British poet Simon Armitage has translated the late Middle English poem “Pearl,” a beautiful poem about a father’s grief and how he resolves it.
Poets and Poems: Denise Riley and “Say Something Back”
“Say Something Back” by British poet Denise Riley considers the ways we do and don’t communicate, almost a plea to listen and hear each other.
Poets and Poems: John Sibley Williams and “Disinheritance”
“Disinheritance” by John Sibley Williams is a beautiful, moving collection of poems dealing with grief, both real and imagined.
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.
The Poetry of World War I
Tim Kendall’s anthology “Poetry of the First World War” explains how poetry came to be so connected with “the war to end all wars.”
Poem Analysis: Matthew Arnold’s Dover Beach
“The sea is calm tonight…” An evocative poem analysis focusing on the imagery in Matthew Arnold’s Dover Beach. Insightful and helpful…
Interview with Poet Patty Paine (Part 2): Poetry Can Save You
Poet Patty Paine confides that “poetry, the reading and the writing of it, has saved my life.”
The Poetry of Walking, History and Houses
A stroll, even in familiar neighborhoods, can prompt reflection, imagination, discovery, and insight. Perhaps it could be called the poetry of walking.
Coming Home to Scotland and Scottish Poetry
Surprised by Scotland, a writer finds herself taken by her past, her present with Scottish poets, and maybe (who knows) her future.
Poetry at Work: The Poetry of Regime Change
There is poetry at work in the most convulsive of organizational upheavals, often called regime change. Charles Bukowski’s poem helps understanding.
Poets and Poems: Grace Schulman’s “Without a Claim”
Grace Schulman’s new collection of poems “Without a Claim” creates quiet repose in the face of discontinuity. Can poets and poems make sense of this?