This article appeared on February 11, 2015 in TIME. Follow the link below to read it in full. Feb. 11, 1963: Sylvia Plath commits suicide What drove Sylvia Plath to her death was painfully clear to her psychiatrist: clinical depression. But after the acclaimed poet, just 30 years old, committed suicide on this day, Feb. … Continue reading Why Some Blamed Poetry for Sylvia Plath’s Death (via TIME)
James Madison University. 288 miles. That’s how far Katherine Dolan, a ’14 alumna, is traveling to emcee JMU’s Word is Born Writers’ Society’s third annual Love Me, Love Me Not poetry jam. But to her, the four-and-a-half-hour drive from her home in Blowing Rock, North Carolina, is worth it. She created the event back when … Continue reading Open mic night showcases student poetry (via The Breeze)
No matter what corner of the globe we live in, when we hear songs such as "No woman, No cry" by Jamaican reggae singer Bob Marley, or the acclaimed song by U2 "Beautiful Day," our brains seem to experience some kind of bliss, and we feel content. This is also the case if we are … Continue reading The Poetry of Leadership (via Huffington Post)
For the last 40 years, poet Richard Shelton has been helping prisoners in Arizona reclaim their humanity. NPR's Arun Rath talks with Shelton about his work. ARUN RATH, HOST: While this may be the most peaceful era in human history, there's still plenty of violence and suffering to support the pessimist's view. Our prisons are … Continue reading Reforming Prisoners Through Poetry (via NPR)
Full Title: The Grammys: Meet the domestic violence activist performing with Katy Perry tonight I met Brooke Axtell in 2012 at a reading for an anthology we were both included in called “Dancing at the Shame Prom.” Her essay in the book, “What I Know of Silence,” explored her experience of child sex-trafficking by a … Continue reading The Grammys: Meet the domestic violence activist who performed with Katy Perry (Salon)
Amazing. Link to full story, below. The bus down from Glasgow was a thing of legend. The city dissolved in a haze of orange lamps and the person beside you would toast the new life with a can of Carlsberg. It was a long night’s journey into day, and London’s King’s Cross, the place of … Continue reading Andrew O’Hagan: ‘I am in love with poetry’ (via The Guardian)
Sally Young has spent most of her life with rhymes in her head. The Little Rock, resident has taken her passion for prose and turned it into a lifelong hobby. Her hobby recently won her accolades from the Iowa Poetry Association, as Young captured first place in the group’s 2014 contest’s general adult category. As … Continue reading Little Rock poet wins top honors from Iowa Poetry Association (via Daily Globe)
If you have ever been in Rams Head Dining Hall, you’ve probably exchanged a smile with Ernest Freeman. Freeman works all over the dining hall, serving burgers and fries to weary underclassmen. But odds are you didn’t know you were also meeting Ernest the poet, born and raised in Chapel Hill. He is a man … Continue reading Dining hall employee Ernest Freeman enjoys writing poetry in his free time (via Daily Tar Heel)
Check out the link below for more events and contact information! Black History Month 2015 has much for those in Northwest Philadelphia to do. Organizations like Center in the Park in Germantown is planning an art series, while the Ausar Auset Society up the street will focus on spiritual development for the new year. Churches, … Continue reading Philadelphia: Art, poetry, church events to mark Black History Month (via Montgomery News)
Linda Kaoma is on the hunt in East Africa. Her tour of the region will see her travel to Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda. Not in search of lions, rhinos or other big game. Rather she's on a quest for a much more elusive creature -- the African poet. "We have a rich oral tradition and … Continue reading Web poet’s society: African poetry goes mobile (via CNN International)
