In her stirring essay “The Difficult Miracle of Black Poetry in America,” June Jordan recalled serving as the final judge for a poetry prize in the mid-1980s. As she sifted through the last round of manuscripts, she began to jot down recurring nouns: moon, elms, lilac, gulley, tundra. “Sixteen different manuscripts of poetry written in 1985 and not one of them uses … Continue reading A Monumental and Rapturous New Anthology of Black American Poetry (via NY Times)
Diane di Prima, the most prominent woman among the male-dominated Beat poets, who after being immersed in the bohemian swirl of Greenwich Village in the 1950s moved to the West Coast and continued to publish prolifically in a wide range of forms, died on Sunday in San Francisco. She was 86. Her husband, Sheppard Powell, … Continue reading Diane di Prima, Poet of the Beat Era and Beyond, Dies at 86 (via NY Times)
The 2020 Nobel Prize in Literature has been awarded to the US poet Louise Glück "for her unmistakable poetic voice that with austere beauty makes individual existence universal." She is the first American to win the prestigious award since Bob Dylan was honored in 2016. Toni Morrison was the last American to receive the prize … Continue reading Nobel Prize in Literature awarded to American poet Louise Glück (via CNN)
"The Age of Phillis,” a poetry collection by Honorée Fanonne Jeffers, reimagines the life of Phillis Wheatley, a Black poet who achieved literary stardom as an enslaved young woman in colonial Boston. Though Wheatley, who died in 1784, left behind a sizable body of work, much of her biography has been recovered from the memoir … Continue reading The 2020 National Book Awards Longlist: Poetry (via The New Yorker)
University of Wyoming Libraries is partnering with the Albany County Public Library (ACPL) to offer a series of events to celebrate African American poetry in October. Lift Every Voice: Why African American Poetry Matters is a national program dedicated to enhancing appreciation of the extraordinary range and richness of the 250-year-long African American poetic tradition. … Continue reading UW Libraries to Host Lift Every Voice Poetry Programs in October (Via Wyoming News Now)
Stockton native and spoken-word artist Brandon Leake is going to the finals of NBC’s “American’s Got Talent.” Leake performed a poem Tuesday night about his relationship with his father and how it impacted him growing up. On Wednesday, the voting results were in — and Leake made it to the finals! “America, thank you so … Continue reading Stockton spoken-word artist makes it to finals of ‘America’s Got Talent’ (via KCRA)
"Memories of my childhood live/between the rings of sand around my ankles/ and the desert heat in my lungs. I still believe that nothing washes/worry from tired skin better than the Nile/and my grandma's hands. Every day I go to school/with the weight of dead neighbors/on my shoulders." That's an excerpt from "People Like Us," … Continue reading A World Champion Slam Poet Pivots To Medicine (via NPR)
“I would like to beg you, dear Sir, as well as I can, to have patience with everything unresolved in your heart and to try to love the questions themselves as if they were locked rooms or books written in a very foreign language. Don’t search for the answers … Live the questions now.” – … Continue reading Why CEOS need to read poetry to lead in the post-COVID world (via Fast Company)
Grammy-nominated singer and songwriter Lana Del Rey will soon publish her debut book of poems, which she says are “eclectic and honest” and written in “authentic spirit”. The e-audio spoken word album of select poems from the book will be available on July 28 followed by the hardcover release in September, publishers Simon & Schuster … Continue reading Lana Del Rey to come out with debut poetry book (via Indian Express)
The late John Prine has been named the first honorary poet laureate of the state of Illinois, Governor J.B. Pritzker announced Tuesday, nearly three months after the singer-songwriter’s death from complications related to COVID-19. “He leaves behind an unparalleled musical legacy and was beloved by family and millions of fans who hope that in Heaven … Continue reading John Prine Named Illinois’ First Honorary Poet Laureate (via Rolling Stone)
