Make like a poet,” urge the organisers of National Poetry Day, the “annual mass celebration of poetry and all things poetical” which will sweep the country tomorrow. Specifically, they’re suggesting that we live, speak, love, think, dream and act like poets. But beyond this, what actually happens on National Poetry Day? On Thursday 8 October … Continue reading What actually happens on National Poetry Day? (via The Telegraph)
From poignant to comedic, a Syrian-American woman's poetry is aimed at dismantling stereotypes of Islam. Some of the topics of Mohja Kahf’s writings may surprise you. “We just won’t spell it out, but there’s another fast that happens in Ramadan that no one ever talks about,” she says during a recent reading at the Houston Public Library’s downtown location. … Continue reading New Program Explores The Role Of Poetry In The Muslim Community (via Houston Public Media)
It’s National Poetry Day on Thursday [10/8/15] but here on the Guardian children’s books site we love poetry so much we thought, why spend just a day celebrating it? Let’s dedicate a whole week to the joy of verse and rhyme and rhythm! We’ve got all sorts in store - watch poets reading poems, listen … Continue reading Welcome to our poetry-themed week – an overview (via The Guardian)
Poet James Tate was very involved when the Amherst Poetry festival began in 2013. He read that year and last year as well. But the Pulitzer Prize winning poet died in July. He will be honored at the third annual festival, which begins Thursday and runs through Sunday. The main stage on the Homestead lawn at the Emily … Continue reading Annual Amherst Poetry Festival to celebrate poetry, honor James Tate (via MassLive)
When Anthony Gagliardi’s eighth grade English teacher showed his class a video of the poem “Scratch and Dent Dreams” by Eric Darby and told them to write down any lines that jumped out, he found himself writing down the entire poem. He fell in love with poetry, he said — instantly. Gagliardi, a College freshman at … Continue reading Poetry Slam Features ‘Ideas Worth Spreading’ (via The Emory Wheel)
A book described by one critic as eavesdropping “on America and a racism that has never gone away” has won the top award at the 2015 Forward prizes for poetry. Claudia Rankine has already won the National Book Critics Circle award in the US for Citizen: An American Lyric. On Monday night at a ceremony in … Continue reading Claudia Rankine’s Citizen wins Forward poetry prize (via The Guardian)
As a student learning about one’s identity, you have options like sports teams or clubs. But there aren’t many options for those with a passion for writing. North Carolina poet Josephus Thompson III has initiated a change that will open the possibilities for students learning about themselves, the community and what they want to do … Continue reading The spoken word: Poetry project gains momentum in Danville (via Go Dan River)
When I told my parents that I was going to study poetry in college, they didn't flinch. It wasn't a curve ball. They weren't keeping their fingers crossed that I'd go to medical school. Their dreams of having a financially stable daughter were not shattered. That's because my parents never had that dream for me. … Continue reading 10 Questions Poetry Majors Are Tired of Answering (via Bustle)
In a piece entitled The Shifting Fortunes of a Performance Poet (published in the Chimurenga Chronic), Vonani Bila writes: “As the 1990s gave way to the 2000s, South African poetry became increasingly commodified. Themes and content became less political, more individual, and the form deregulated – not opened to experiment so much as abandoned.” Bila may as well … Continue reading The lived experience of the spoken word poet (via Mail & Guardian)
C. K. Williams, whose morally impassioned poems addressing war, poverty and climate change, as well as the imponderable mysteries of the psyche, won him a Pulitzer Prize and a National Book Award, died on Sunday at his home in Hopewell. N.J. He was 78. The cause was multiple myeloma, his wife, Catherine Mauger Williams, said. Mr. Williams … Continue reading C. K. Williams, Poet Who Tackled Moral Issues, Dies at 78 (via NY Times)
