In this week's JOURNAL, Robert Bly calls us to respect the work of the Muslim poets, saying that "if we're criticizing the Muslim world so much, we should be able to give thanks for the genius that is there”

He then introduces us to some of the works of Rumi (born in 1204 in present-day Afghanistan) and Hafez (born in 1320 in present day Iran). We've posted a couple for your consideration:

Continue reading "The Power of Poetry" »

Tag(s): poetry
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We have sad news to report this week. Poet, musician and historian Sekou Sundiata, featured in our series "The Language of Life" passed away on Wednesday, July 18, 2007 at 5:47am. We remember him and the music of his words here:



For more information on the life and work of Sekou Sundiata, click here.

Tag(s): poetry
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This week on BILL MOYERS JOURNAL, Bill Moyers talks with scholar and poet Martín Espada about the borders of racism facing the Latino community in America today, and how the news media sometimes perpetuates these issues:

"We talk about borders all the time. In fact, for Latinos, the true borders of our experience have always been the borders of racism. Having said that, I also believe that we don't necessarily see the situations in which solidarity happens. We don't see the situation where somebody reaches out to somebody to someone else. Does that make the news? Do we hear about that?"

Here is a poem by Martín Espada that speaks to the issues of race and borders entitled "Alabanza: In Praise of Local 100." You can more of Espada's poems here.

Continue reading "Poetry and Prejudice" »

Tag(s): poetry
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Tomorrow on The Journal, author Maxine Hong Kingston talks with Bill Moyers about poetry and war:

"My hope is that through art, through telling their stories, by having people hear what they went through, it changes them again," Kingston tells Bill Moyers. "There's the coming home from war, being broken, feeling losses, but then there is a wholeness that takes place if the person were able to write their story, to write their poem, to have people hear them and listen and understand. Then they are changed again."

For nearly 15 years Maxine Hong Kingston has led writing-and-meditation workshops for veterans and their families. This poem is one of the many works created by the veterans:

Poem for Têt
by Ted Sexauer, medic, 173rd Airborne

Lang Cô village, Viêt Nam
Lunar New Year, 31/1/1995

This is the poem
that will save my life
this the line that will cure me
this word, this, the word word the one

this breath the one I am.

(more from "Veterans of War, Veterans of Peace")

Feel free to share your stories with the blog community below.

Tag(s): Vietnam , poetry , war
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