Anthon Samuel was just days shy of his eighth birthday when he witnessed the unthinkable. Despite struggling to cope at first he managed to turn his pain into poetry and is this week’s South Florida Survivor. “March 20, 2001, people heard rounds,” Samuel reads from his phone. “Once cops arrived to the scene a black … Continue reading South Florida Survivor Uses Poetry To Ease Pain Of Father’s Death (via CBS Miami)
Harvard grad, Donovan Livingston - watch the poem here. Social media is buzzing over a Harvard graduate's poetic commencement speech, which has garnered millions of views and the attention of celebrities. Donovan Livingston, who received his master's degree in education, addressed his classmates Wednesday with a spoken-word poem outlining the historic obstacles that have prevented … Continue reading Social Media Buzzing Over Harvard Grad’s Spoken-Word Speech (via ABC 13)
"Float like a butterfly. Sting like a bee" -- one of many expressions that turned a kid from Louisville, Kentucky, into a global sensation. Anna Werner looks at Muhammad Ali, wordsmith: "This poem tells how it feels to be as great as me. This is it, the greatest short poem of all time: me ... Whee!" … Continue reading The poetry of Muhammad Ali (via CBS News)
Although by no means a comprehensive list, here are several emerging Pacific Islander poets — powerful young voices writing and speaking on issues such as climate change, colonialism, language, identity, sexuality, and sovereignty — to look out for. "I moved out to Hawai'i to study with Craig Santos Perez because I knew that he wrote … Continue reading Emerging Writers to Read and Watch in the Pacific Islander Poetry Community (via NBC News)
JOHN YANG: Now: how a writer is coming to terms with his family’s own traumatic past, and how his use of poetry’s distinct style helps him grapple with history. Jeffrey Brown has our profile. And we should warn you, viewers may find some of the images disturbing. JEFFREY BROWN: Peter Balakian grew up amid the … Continue reading Using poetry to shed light on the worst of memories, including genocide (via PBS Charlotte)
Today’s Google Doodle celebrates Rosario Castellanos, one of the most important Mexican woman writers of the 20th century, who was born on May 25, 1925. She died in 1974. Castellanos wrote poetry, essays, short stories, and novels. The daughter of wealthy parents who lost most of their money under Lázaro Cárdenas’s land reform, Castellanos produced work that … Continue reading Rosario Castellanos was one of Mexico’s greatest poets (via Vox)
If you’re walking through Boston during a downpour, make sure to keep your eyes on the pavement: you might just see a poem appear before your eyes. For the last few months, Bostonians wandering the city streets in the rain may have come across poems written on the sidewalk. Titled “Raining Poetry,” this art installation … Continue reading When it Rains in Boston, the Sidewalks Reveal Poetry (via Smithsonian Mag)
In downtown Detroit on Sunday, high school seniors found ways to honor two seemingly disparate art forms at once: poetry and Detroit techno music. The event, called “Techno Poetics,” was the culmination of a year-long effort to teach students about the city’s history as the birthplace of a genre, and to celebrate that history through … Continue reading In Detroit, students blending beats and poetry (via Detroit Free Press)
Celebrate the publication of A Garden State of Mind, an anthology of student writing from five Hoboken schools, at a public poetry reading at 3 p.m., Sunday at the Hoboken Historical Museum, 1301 Hudson St. The project that led to the book began last November, when poets Andy Clausen and Teresa Carson went into five Hoboken schools … Continue reading Poetry anthology by Hoboken students due for release on Sunday (via NJ)
Full title: Poetry expresses what it is to be human – it’s therapy for the soul (The Guardian) United Kingdom Drive north out of Manchester through Cheetham Hill’s wholesale district and on through the Orthodox Jewish neighbourhoods and eventually you will arrive at Prestwich hospital. For several years a programme called Rise (Reading In Secure Environments) has … Continue reading Poetry expresses what it is to be human (The Guardian)
