Jay Bernard's teenage poetry was terrible, something the award-winning poet is happy to admit. The 31-year-old south Londoner began writing at school, printing out poems, stapling them together, and charging classmates £2 for a copy. More than a decade later, Jay, who self-describes as non-binary, has won the 2018 Ted Hughes Award for Surge: Side…Read more The rock stars of poetry explain why the art is in demand (via BBC)
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation has donated the funding for two grants to the Academy of American Poets, totaling $2.2 million. The funds, the AAP said, will be used to "enable the work of several poets serving in civic Poets Laureate positions," as well as to support more than 20 poetry organizations" who comprise the Poetry…Read more AAP Gets $2.2 Million In the Name of Poetry (via Publishers Weekly)
Full Title: "New Year, New Verse: 4 Poetry Collections That Change the World (via Vulture)" Poetry ought to be the preeminent form of this age — hell, every age. In a smattering of words, a poem can eulogize, satirize, criticize, proselytize. The greatest verse clues us into what Jane Hirshfield calls “poetry’s knowing,” its function of “clarification…Read more 4 Poetry Collections That Change the World (via Vulture)
Poetry and Social Justice (ENGL3240) is a class offered at Graceland University for students every fall semester. In the class, students read and listen to written and performed pieces of poetry and criticism. The pieces are then discussed in relation to social issues across the globe. Such examples include racism, sexism, and body image. This…Read more Poetry and Social Justice (via The Tower)
Full Title: "In These New Essays, John McPhee Finds Poetry in the Material at Hand (via New York Times)" Here is the seventh collection of essays by John McPhee, his 33rd book and perhaps his eleventy-billionth word of published prose. This far into a prolific career, it may be a good time to finally unmask the 87-year-old…Read more John McPhee Finds Poetry in the Material at Hand (via New York Times)
When Claudia Cortese took to Twitter to accuse another writer of stealing her work, she didn’t mince words. In a thread published December 7, Cortese called out poet Lisa Low for a litany of literary sins: Lisa Low not only plagiarized my words, images, lines but — even worse — she stole my voice, my trauma, the…Read more New Plagiarism Accusations Spark a Twitter Debate on ‘After’ Poems (via Vulture)
The best comedy album is also stacked with non-singers, including Dave Chappelle and Patton Oswalt. Tiffany Haddish, Grammy Award winner? It's possible — the actress is nominated for best spoken-word album for the audiobook version of her memoir, The Last Black Unicorn. She'll face off against Questlove (Creative Quest), Courtney B. Vance (Accessory to War by Neil deGrasse…Read more Grammys: Tiffany Haddish Nabs Best Spoken-Word Nomination (via The Hollywood Reporter)
