Author: thepoetslist

ZORA HOWARD has always been right on time. She was the youngest poet to win the Urban Word NYC Grand Slam finals at the age of 13. Three years ago, at 16, she became the first ever New York City Youth Poet Laureate. And now, as the youngest member of the collective The Strivers Row, … Continue reading Zora Howard: In the ‘First’ Person (via Verses & Flow) →

Yesterday I found myself in the position of requesting permission from a poet. Specifically, I was asking to weave two lovely lines of “On Listening to the Two-Headed Lady Blow Her Horn” by Honorée Fanonne Jeffers (from “The Gospel of Barbecue”) into my next novel. You could say my request was based on surrender; in … Continue reading Michael Perry: You don’t have to get poetry just taste (via Wisconsin State Journal) →

This year's Individual World Poetry Slam, sponsored by the Arizona Humanities Council, was thought-provoking to say the least. The event lasted four days at multiple local venues, and led up to a final bout at Marquee Theatre on Saturday, October 11. The iWPS finals offered exposure not only to this year's top contenders, but to … Continue reading Porsha O Crowned 2014 Individual World Poetry Slam Champion in Tempe (via Phoenix New Times) →

Despite his stature as former U.S. poet laureate and his achievement of the nearly impossible — great commercial success as a living poet — Billy Collins cringes at the idea of being a leader. "Leadership to me suggests that there’s a place to lead the person to," he says. "Whereas poetry is actually the home of ambiguity, ambivalence and uncertainty." Collins, 73, nevertheless agreed to … Continue reading Billy Collins on life, death and poetry (via Washington Post) →