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The
NewsHour Poetry Series, funded by the Poetry Foundation, intends to engage a broader
audience with poetry through a series of thoughtful, in-depth reports on contemporary
poets and poetry.
The
series will include the production of short-form profiles on living American poets
and long-form segments on current debates in poetry that will air on the NewsHour
starting in 2006. The pieces will also be available on the Online NewsHour
and on PoetryFoundation.org
as audio and video.
The
collaboration will allow the NewsHour to draw from the foundation's extensive
research on the state of poetry in American culture, as well as the foundation's
knowledge of various issues -- from the plethora of MFA programs to the current
neglect of some of the art form's living masters.
Segments in the series have featured Washington, D.C.-area high school students
as they prepare for and participate in the national poetry recitation contest,
reports on the poetry of the Middle East and the business of publishing poetry, and profiles of poets, including Galway Kinnell, Lucille Clifton, John Ashbery, Li-Young Lee, Natasha Trethewey and Kevin Young.
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largest
literary organizations in the world, it exists to discover and celebrate the best
poetry and to place it before the largest possible audience. The Poetry Foundation
seeks to be a leader in shaping a receptive climate for poetry by developing new
audiences, creating new avenues for delivery, and encouraging new kinds of poetry
through innovative literary prizes and programs. In addition to launching a major
new poetry Web site, the Foundation is sponsoring a national recitation contest
in the schools, and an unprecedented study to understand poetry's place in American
culture. Upon receipt of a major gift from philanthropist Ruth Lilly, the Poetry
Foundation was established in 2003, evolving from the Modern Poetry Association,
which was founded in 1941.
