Feb 10 Weekly Poem: Nick Lantz uses ‘how-to’ guides as inspiration By Victoria Fleischer If you pick up Nick Lantz’s new poetry collection, “How to Dance as the Roof Caves in,” you’ll recognize the "self-help" theme running through the titles. To name a few: “How to Travel Alone,” “How to Forgive a Promise Breaker,”… Continue reading
Feb 03 Weekly Poem: ‘Poetry of Witness’ co-editor Carolyn Forché reads ‘A Letter from Aragon’ By Victoria Fleischer Carolyn Forche, co-editor of "Poetry of Witness," reads "A Letter from Aragon," written by English poet Rupert John Cornford. Continue reading
Jan 29 Carolyn Forche explores writing ‘as an outcry of the soul’ in ‘Poetry of Witness’ By artsdesk Carolyn Forche, co-editor of the anthology "Poetry of Witness," read Major John McCrae's poem "In Flanders Field." Carolyn Forche was deeply affected by her experience in countries at war. Forche is the co-editor of the new anthology "Poetry… Continue reading
Jan 27 Weekly Poem: Peter Cole writes about why we read poetry By Victoria Fleischer Peter Cole thinks of all poetry as translation. "Writing one's own poetry, you're translating a nonverbal experience or a less than articulate experience into something much more articulate," he told Art Beat. In addition to writing his own, Cole translates… Continue reading
Jan 20 Syrian-American activist Amal Kassir uses slam poetry to fuel her cause By Mary Jo Brooks Amal Kassir lived in Syria for many years. She says her time there helped her understand the people's suffering while the freedoms she has in America allowed her to become an activist on their behalf. At 18, she performs slam… Continue reading
Jan 20 Weekly Poem: Elizabeth Alexander honors MLK Day with stories of the black experience By Victoria Fleischer Poet Elizabeth Alexander "cant untether" herself from history, especially when reflecting on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. When she offered her own work in commemoration of the holiday, Alexander read four poems that travel through history to "give us a… Continue reading
Jan 13 Weekly Poem: Michael Davidson reads ‘The Terror’ By Victoria Fleischer Michael Davidson is a professor of literature at University of California, San Diego. Davidson has published five other books of poetry, including "The Arcades" (O Books, 1998). "Bleed Through: New and Selected Poems" (Coffee House Press, 2013), published in December,… Continue reading
Jan 07 For these medical students, poetry nurtures the soul By Anne Azzi Davenport // Kai Huang, Shara Yurkiewicz and Samyukta Mullangi are three of Dr. Rafael Campo's students, who are learning poetry to supplement their medical training. Chief arts correspondent Jeffrey Brown sat down with three Harvard medical students to talk about… Continue reading
Jan 07 Rafael Campo uses his stethoscope to explore rhythms of poetry By Anne Azzi Davenport // Rafael Campo explores poetry through his experience as a doctor. He teaches this practice to his medical students out of the belief that healing is more than just knowing how to respond to symptoms. Rafael Campo is a… Continue reading
Jan 06 Weekly Poem: Ron Padgett reads ‘Spots’ By Victoria Fleischer Spots And so once again Father Time and said to Mother Nature, "Mother, put a few more of those brown spots on him, please," and so she did, dutifully and without malice she placed them here and there among the… Continue reading