Apr 11 Poet's Notebook: Pilgrimage, Revisited By Natasha Trethewey U.S. Poet Laureate Natasha Trethewey reads her poem "Incident," while in Jackson, Mississippi. This year, because of the 50th anniversary of Freedom Summer, Congressman John Lewis led the 14th Congressional Civil Rights Pilgrimage not only to its… Continue reading
Apr 09 Poet Gerald Stern to receive the Poetry Society of America's prestigious Frost Medal By artsdesk On Wednesday night the Poetry Society of America will honor poet Gerald Stern with the Frost Medal, the organization's highest award, given for lifetime achievement. The medal has previously been awarded to poets such as Wallace Stevens, Marianne Moore… Continue reading
Apr 07 Weekly Poem: Steve Scafidi Jr. reads 'Portraits of Abraham Lincoln with Clouds for a Ceiling' By artsdesk Steve Scafidi Jr.'s poem "Portraits of Abraham Lincoln with Clouds for a Ceiling" is published in "Lines in Long Array: A Civil War Commemoration: Poems and Photographs, Past and Present." In recognition of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War,… Continue reading
Mar 31 Weekly Poem: Eavan Boland reads 'A Soldier in the 28th Massachusetts' By artsdesk Eavan Boland's poem "A Soldier in the 28th Massachusetts" is published in "Lines in Long Array: A Civil War Commemoration: Poems and Photographs, Past and Present." In recognition of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, the Smithsonian's National Poetry… Continue reading
Mar 24 Weekly Poem: C. D. Wright reads 'Obscurity and Legacy' By artsdesk C. D. Wright's poem "Obscurity and Legacy" is published in "Lines in Long Array: A Civil War Commemoration: Poems and Photographs, Past and Present." In recognition of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, the Smithsonian's National Poetry Gallery commissioned… Continue reading
Mar 17 Weekly Poem: Ron Padgett reads 'Thinking about the Moon' By artsdesk Ron Padgett is an American poet, essayist, fiction writer, translator and member of the New York School. His latest book “Collected Poems” is a compilation of his works from 1960-2004 including 11 previous publications and dozens of uncollected poems. Padgett… Continue reading
Mar 13 Incarcerated teens write to free their demons; 'I could have been beautiful' By Mary Jo Brooks That poem, written by 18-year-old Jada, has become his mantra, of sorts. He began writing poetry five years ago, when he was a patient at a state psychiatric hospital in Lakewood, Wash. There he participated in the Pongo Writing Project,… Continue reading
Mar 13 Poet's Notebook: Difficult Knowledge By Natasha Trethewey Visiting the King County Juvenile Detention Facility I couldn’t help thinking of the words of poet Robert Frost. In my own life I believe it was an early education in poetical metaphor that helped me to grapple with and make… Continue reading
Mar 10 Weekly Poem: Michael Collier reads 'Grandmother with Mink Stole, Sky Harbor Airport, Phoenix, Arizona, 1959' By artsdesk Michael Collier was the Poet Laureate of Maryland from 2001-2004. He has published several collections of poetry, including “The Ledge,” which was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and the national Book Critics Circle Award. “An Individual… Continue reading
Mar 03 Weekly Poem: Rachel Zucker pulls inspiration from the noise of New York By Victoria Fleischer Rachel Zucker was once told that poets either write out of noise or out of silence and she has no doubt which category she falls into. Zucker just published a new collection of poems called "The Pedestrians." A… Continue reading