Poetry Nov 11 Sister’s worry over another deployment inspires this Veterans Day poem Gretchen Marquette has written several poems about the complicated feelings she has about her brother fighting in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
Poetry Nov 01 What baseball is, according to this lifetime fan Gail Mazur says she’s been obsessed with baseball her whole life, but she resisted the temptation to write any poems about the game because she worried how it would be received by other poets.
Poetry Oct 24 This poet releases the beasts to discover her humanity Werewolves, mermaids, griffons and minotaurs: Donika Kelly’s debut collection of poetry is filled with mythological creatures. But unlike medieval bestiaries that used creatures to teach moral lessons to others, Kelly says her book is an exploration of her humanity.
Arts Oct 21 Forget the election with this fall song from maestro Chris Thile Chris Thile, the mandolin virtuoso who just became the host of "A Prairie Home Companion," will compose a new song to begin every episode of the iconic radio variety program.
Poetry Oct 17 How this son of immigrants reimagined his parents’ homeland Chris Santiago is the son of Filipino immigrants. In his first collection of poems, “Tula,” he wrestles with the tension of being both inside and outside the language and the culture of the Philippines.
Poetry Oct 10 When a hurricane turns a familiar place into ‘familiar debris’ Alison Pelegrin, a poet and native of New Orleans, has lived through many hurricanes, but says Katrina forever changed her. "I wear the scars, but I’m able to go on."…
Poetry Oct 03 If the walls of an immigrant detention center could speak Poet Teow Lim Goh imagines the voices of Chinese immigrants who were detained at Angel Island between 1910 and 1940.
Poetry Sep 26 Seeing a culture of fear, poet explores the immigrant dream Poet Tishani Doshi has long reflected on the idea of immigration and creating a new home in new land. But she has become alarmed about the “culture of fear” that has developed toward immigrants in the United Sates and Britain.
Poetry Sep 19 A Defense Department dictionary helped this poet write in the language of war Solmaz Sharif says she has always been obsessed with state-sponsored language. But it wasn’t until 10 years ago when she stumbled onto a Defense Department dictionary that she began to write what would become an entire book of poetry using…
Poetry Sep 09 What it was like to watch the 9/11 attacks from your classroom window On Sept. 11, 2001, Annie Thoms was 25 and just starting her second year teaching English at Stuyvesant High School, which is located just four blocks from Ground Zero. In the months that followed, she worked with her students to…