Dec 04 Poet Claudia Rankine on the violent deaths of black men By Mary Jo Brooks Poet and playwright Claudia Rankine is fascinated with stories about the interactions -- both intimate and large scale -- between the races. In her latest book of poetry, “Citizen: An American Lyric”, Rankine intersperses small vignettes about everyday injustices with… Continue reading
Dec 04 Watch 0:50 Using poetry to uncover the moments that lead to racism By PBS News Hour Continue watching
Dec 01 Weekly Poem: Remembering Mark Strand By Victoria Fleischer Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Mark Strand died Saturday from liposarcoma, a cancer in the fat cells. The former U.S. poet laureate, MacArthur fellow and author of more than a dozen books of poetry was 80 years old. We remember him with… Continue reading
Dec 01 Watch 7:52 The Pulitzer Poet By PBS News Hour A conversation with Mark Strand, who won this year's Pulitzer for poetry for his book Blizzard of One. Continue watching
Dec 01 Watch 1:03 Poet Mark Strand reads ‘A Suite Of Appearances: 4’ By PBS News Hour Continue watching
Nov 24 Weekly Poem: Setting the Thanksgiving table with a poem by Louise Glück By artsdesk “Lamentations” by Louise Glück might not seem like a Thanksgiving poem, but technical writer Annik Stahl would disagree. Back in 2001, she read “Lamentations” for a NewsHour series started by former poet laureate Robert Pinksy that asked Americans to read… Continue reading
Nov 24 Watch Setting the Thanksgiving table with a poem by Louise Glück By PBS News Hour Continue watching
Nov 17 Weekly Poem: Hoa Nguyen links globalization and goddesses By Victoria Fleischer Many of the poems in “Red Juice” deal with a concern for globalization and sustainability. “You can see that progression in the book, that there is more and more urgency around the concern about financial collapse, concern about environmental collapse,… Continue reading
Nov 10 Weekly Poem: Derrick Brown heals a horse and puts it to verse By Anna Christiansen When poet Derrick Brown moved from the city of Austin to more rural Elgin, Texas, he was searching for “a peaceful plot of land to hunker down.” The pastoral surroundings enabled Brown to slow down and regain his voice, spurring… Continue reading
Nov 03 Weekly Poem: Jericho Brown revists ‘The New Testament’ By Victoria Fleischer As a child, poet Jericho Brown went to church on Wednesdays and Sundays and “every day in between if we could.” He grew up in an evangelical, fundamentalist family and often sang with the church choir. It’s through that lens… Continue reading