Tag Archives: Poetry
A World of History in a Poem: Anna Akhmatova
But now I’m frightened. I have Got to present myself, smile at Them all and fall silent, Hugging my lace shawl. She who was I, in her black agate Necklace–till the valley of God’s anger Bring us together, I’d rather … Continue reading
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Mighty Like A Virus
I hardly ever get sick, which means that on the rare occasions I am sidelined by a random plague, I’m convinced I’m at death’s door. You can laugh if you like but, I have a healthy fear and respect for … Continue reading
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Whole Lotta Readin’ Goin’ On
If you haven’t made it to Oakland for Read to the People yet, you are missing the most enthusiastic, exciting show of library support since Andrew Carnegie dedicated Main Library. Here are just a few highlights from this afternoon and … Continue reading
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The Captain Asks for a Show of Hands
In Nick Flynn’s newest poetry collection, The Captain Asks for a Show of Hands, he continues his examination of torture, specifically Abu Ghraib prison, that he began in his memoir The Ticking is the Bomb. While he still explores violence … Continue reading
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Best Poetry Book of 2011 (So Far)
For the longest time, I’ve had a love/hate relationship with Robert Bly. It is beyond question that he is an important figure in American poetry over the last half century. He has written some fine books and some magnificent poetry … Continue reading
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You can’t do that with ebooks!
Ironically, while I was researching tutorials for setting up ereaders and downloading ebooks, I stumbled across something only possible with glue and paper books: book spine poetry. This video, from Kansas City Public Library, describes the quirky project. Next time … Continue reading
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Please
“We are at our best when our poems are as vast and varied as the American people are,” poet Jericho Brown said during the Academy of American Poets Forum in October of last year. His remarks, among the highlights of … Continue reading
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Walt Whitman: 3 Poems By … Discussion Group
If asked to choose a handful of poetry volumes I would want, if a handful were all I might have, Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass would be very close to the top of the list, if not actually on the top. … Continue reading
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The Doldrums:
In which an increasingly frustrated hero searches for the perfect book to lift the spirits past the drudgery of the winter, and in turn discovers James Richardson and feels better about his interrupted mind. Starting a blog post is almost … Continue reading
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