poetry

Kay Ryan Reflects on Role as Nation’s Poet Laureate

Known for compact writing and for leading a quiet life, Kay Ryan has taken on a very public role as the nation's poet laureate. For more than 30 years, she has taught remedial English in Marin County, Calif. Her poems…

Weekly Poem: ‘Handymen’

Cornelius Eady is the director of the Creative Writing Program at the University of Notre Dame and is the co-founder and vice president of Cave Canem a national organization for African American poetry.

Weekly Poem: ‘Brokenmusic’

Nathalie Handal is the author of two books of poetry and is also the editor of "The Poetry of Arab Women: A Contemporary Anthology" and co-editor of "Language for a New Century: Contemporary Poetry from the Middle East, Asia &…

More Than a Weekly Poem: A Conversation and Reading With Poet Laureate Kay Ryan

By Arts Desk

Known for short, compact writing and for living a very quiet life, Kay Ryan has taken on a big and very public role as the nation's Poet Laureate. For more than thirty years, Ryan has lived and taught remedial English…

Weekly Poem: ‘Salvage’

Poet Laureate Kay Ryan recently sat down with Jeffrey Brown to talk about her work and her role as Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress. That conversation will be posted here soon. Much more about Ryan can be…

From Lebanon’s Marcel Khalife, Songs of Strife and Love

In another in our series about the Kennedy Center's Arabesque art festival, Jeffrey Brown profiles Lebanese folk singer Marcel Khalife, who for nearly 40 years has been rousing audiences with songs about love and strife, politics and injustice.

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Tonight on the NewsHour: Marcel Khalife

By Arts Desk

Friday on the NewsHour, Jeffrey Brown profiles Marcel Khalife, who for nearly 40 years has been rousing audiences with songs about love and strife.

Weekly Poem: ‘Advertisement for the Mountain’

Christina Davis is the author of "Forth A Raven" (Alice James Books, 2006). In February, Poet Laureate Kay Ryan chose Davis and Mary Szybist for the 2009 Witter Bynner Fellowships.

Weekly Poems: By Washington and Lincoln

By Arts Desk

For Presidents Day (and two days after Valentines Day), here are poems by two presidents, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, that hit on the theme of love.

Cynthia Zarin Reads ‘Harriet’ and Other Poems

By newshourpoetry

Cynthia Zarin is the author of three books of poetry -- "The Swordfish Tooth" (1989); "Fire Lyric" (1993); and "The Watercourse" (2002, Los Angeles Times Book Prize) -- and five books for children.