The Ukrainian American poet Ilya Kaminsky’s book Deaf Republic tells the story of a city under siege from an occupying force, and the steps the citizens to fight back. It also portrays the experience of watching conflict from a safe distance—something many Americans have experienced this week as images of the Russian invasion of Ukraine flood our … Continue reading Ilya Kaminsky on his viral poem “We Lived Happily During the War” and Ukrainian resistance (via Slate)
Full Title: "Warsan Shire talks to Bernardine Evaristo about becoming a superstar poet: ‘Beyoncé sent flowers when my children were born’ (via Guardian)" When an email from Beyoncé’s office first landed in Warsan Shire’s inbox, she assumed it was some kind of prank. It wasn’t. Beyoncé – the real Beyoncé – was inviting Shire, a 27-year-old British-Somali … Continue reading Warsan Shire talks to Bernardine Evaristo about becoming a superstar poet (via Guardian)
After years of shining bright in some of America’s most popular strip clubs, former exotic dancer Tiara ‘Mizhani’ Walton, 32, is hanging up her cape in exchange for peace of mind. The Detroit dancer rose to stardom fast and in 2014, at the age of 23-years-old, was named the queen of King of Diamonds in Miami. … Continue reading Former Exotic Dancer Mizhani Shares How She Healed Through Travel & Poetry (via Travel Noire)
Poets Unplugged: An Evening of Spoken Word and Music 7-10 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 12, Fogartyville Media & Community Art Center The first in a series of four events hosted by spoken word artist Melanie Lavender. The theme for the event is “Truth and Power.” Local poets are invited to participate in the open mic prior to the featured … Continue reading How to Celebrate Black History Month in Sarasota (via Sarasota Magazine)
As a teenager in Fayetteville, Neil Ray found his passion for writing poetry and noticed there wasn't a prominent community of poets in the city, so he started one. Since the late 1990s, Ray has worked to build up the poetry community in the Fayetteville area. As a member of the Writer's Guild, a Fayetteville writers … Continue reading Fayetteville’s poetry community shares the art of spoken word (via The Fayetteville Observer)
For Alexandra Huỳnh, life these days is anything but ordinary. The 19-year-old poet and California native began her college career in the fall, when the world was deep into the second year of the pandemic. While attending English and engineering classes at Stanford University, she’s been balancing her duties as the national youth poet laureate, a … Continue reading Youth Poet Laureate Alexandra Huynh about Stanford, Amanda Gorman and more (via The Lily)
Click here to view the video for Duke Al Durham's “We Are Heroes.” A rapper-poet who began writing to escape intrusive thoughts has said the process "saved my life".Duke Al Durham kept his poems secret for years, but now hopes they will help others.The 27-year-old, from Sully, Vale of Glamorgan, has called for a National Poetry … Continue reading Eminem-inspired rapper-poet says writing saved his life (via BBC)
A giant of Northwest poetry died shortly before Christmas. David Wagoner, 95, was the exemplar — and for many years the gatekeeper — of the region’s poetic voices.As a poet, teacher, editor and author, Wagoner shaped a poetic identity from the Northwest’s natural and cultural surroundings, just as midcentury architects like Paul Thiry and artists like … Continue reading David Wagoner, a giant of Northwest poetry, has died (via Crosscut)
2021's poetry landscape was full of intensity, from: exciting moments (inauguration poetry and Grammy noms); devastating events (see: Poets in Myanmar); serious loss (see: Binta and Levine); and a few major changes. Yes, this year-in-poetry has been complex, experiencing a constant flux of highs and lows. We realize that you may have experienced this in … Continue reading 2021 Poetry Wrap: Year in Review
A group of writers gathered in a room at the Great River Regional Library Thursday evening, sipping cups of Somali tea and enjoying slices of pie as they perused poetry displayed in little glass centerpieces at the front of the room.The event celebrated the work of immigrants enrolled in a weekly English language learner class … Continue reading Immigrants Use Weekly English Poetry Class to Learn Language (via U.S. News)
