Dec 21 Watch 3:33 Turning silence on police shootings into poetry By PBS News Hour Hip-hop is the soundtrack to poet Marcus Wicker's daily life, and his love for the music comes out naturally in his writing, which addresses topics like the violence perpetrated against black bodies. Wicker offers his Brief but Spectacular take on… Continue watching
Dec 18 This poet gives voice to the violence along the U.S.-Mexico border By Jennifer Hijazi Poet Sasha Pimentel says she writes to give voice to violence “so unseeable, so irreconcilable it hurts so much to say.”… Continue reading
Dec 15 Watch 3:23 How poetry can help kids turn a fear of literature into love By PBS News Hour Literature can be daunting for some young people, so how can we create a culture of avid readers? Poetry can be a non-threatening alternative introduction for fledgling bibliophiles, giving them more “white space” on a page without losing narrative elements. Continue watching
Dec 11 This Palestinian poem on Jerusalem is finding new life By Jennifer Hijazi The work of Mahmoud Darwish -- who died in 2008 and is widely considered the preeminent modern Palestinian poet -- has found new resonance since President Donald Trump’s announcement that the U.S. will move its embassy to Jerusalem, officially recognizing… Continue reading
Dec 07 Watch 2:52 Poet reflects on America where ‘an angry man can shoot a teenager’ By PBS News Hour For Major Jackson, poetry is a vehicle of exploration. His poem "Stand Your Ground" responds to Florida's law that was famously invoked in the killing of Trayvon Martin, a 17-year-old boy. Jackson gives his Brief But Spectacular take on leaving… Continue watching
Dec 04 His wife worked at Sandy Hook. Now this poet is helping start a conversation about gun violence By Alison Thoet The shooting “changed our lives that day, and we became activists.” In a new collection, 54 poems address gun violence in America. Continue reading
Nov 28 This record label is bringing live poetry back to vinyl By Elizabeth Flock Jeff Alessandrelli said the label is looking to bring the same independent sensibility as Octopus to its releases, and plans to release two to three records per year. Continue reading
Nov 20 In poet John Keats’ letters, a man full of life just before he died By Alison Thoet Romantic poet John Keats is best known for his odes, epics and sonnets. But in his short lifetime he also wrote dozens of letters to siblings and friends, which are now surfacing together online for the first time, 200 years… Continue reading
Nov 10 This South African poet is helping a Maryland church protect a historic black cemetery By Andrew Bossone Members of the Macedonia Baptist Church in Bethesda, Maryland, believe the remains of some of the first freed African Americans are buried under ground nearby. Continue reading
Nov 06 Bukowski’s poems were mangled by editors after his death. Now you can read his originals By Elizabeth Flock A new book faithfully reproduces Bukowski's poems as he actually wrote them, before they were revised with a heavy hand. Continue reading