Nov 27 A poem that extends a hand in our lonely times By Joshua Barajas Throughout the year’s pain and distress caused by the pandemic, people have connected with the core theme of loneliness in Elizabeth Acevedo’s poem. Yet the final, gentle moment, set inside a nail salon, is one of reaching out, and having… Continue reading
Nov 25 New anthology shares Black poetry’s history of ‘struggle and song’ By Joshua Barajas In 250 years of Black poetry, the act of writing is itself a form of protest. Continue reading
Nov 22 Watch 6:10 A Maryland college honors the lives of enslaved people By Ivette Feliciano, Connie Kargbo St. Mary's College of Maryland unveiled a new memorial yesterday honoring the lives of enslaved people of southern Maryland. It tells the story of "resilience, persistence, and creative problem-solving that defined the lives” of the enslaved people that lived there… Continue watching
Nov 19 Joy Harjo will serve a rare third term as U.S. poet laureate By Joshua Barajas Harjo is the second poet laureate to serve this many terms in a row since the current duties of the position were established 77 years ago. Continue reading
Nov 17 Beloved arts facility Poets House suspends operations By Associated Press One of the country's leading literary community and educational centers, Poets House, is suspending operations because of “challenges presented” by the coronavirus pandemic. Continue reading
Oct 09 Joy Harjo on how a new Native poetry anthology fills a gap in American literature By Joshua Barajas For centuries, Native poetry has been preserved by the spoken word. So when a team of editors were putting together a new anthology of Native poetry, with U.S. Poet Laureate Joy Harjo among them, they read the entire work out… Continue reading
Oct 08 American poet Louise Glück wins Nobel literature prize By David Keyton, Jill Lawless, Associated Press American poet Louise Glück won the Nobel Prize in Literature on Thursday for her "candid and uncompromising" work, becoming the first U.S. winner since Bob Dylan in 2016. Continue reading
Sep 24 After RBG’s death, this poet urges us to follow in her steps By Joshua Barajas In writing her poem, “In the Steps of RBG,” Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer’s message was: “Wow, you did it. And now, it’s our turn.”… Continue reading
Sep 23 A poet and radiologist on how the pandemic has ‘concentrated’ his mind By Joshua Barajas Amit Majmudar said he hasn't written much about the coronavirus pandemic, but he has embraced the time to be productive. "The pandemic really reminded me of my own mortality," he said. Continue reading
Sep 01 How poetry helped these hurricane survivors weather the aftermath By Joshua Barajas For those who have lived through these disasters before, there’s a familiar pang of anticipation for the next powerful storm, a theme felt acutely by poets who gathered last week to mark the 15th anniversary of Katrina’s landfall. Continue reading