Arts Oct 14 Watch 7:48 Afghan poets find inspiration in exile, using art to channel their pain Poetry has a special place in the heart of Afghans. It has played a prominent role from the country's ancient history to its present day. But when the Taliban took over, many of Afghanistan’s most popular poets had to flee. By Ali Rogin
Arts May 08 New anthology collects dozens of poems about pandemic More than 80 poems are included in an anthology, “Together In a Sudden Strangeness,” coming in e-book and audio formats in June. By Hillel Italie, Associated Press
Poetry Jul 11 How young writers are leading a poetry comeback Twenty-eight million American adults read poetry this year -- the highest percentage of poetry readership in more than 15 years. By Jennifer Hijazi
Poetry Jan 01 This New Year’s poem honors ‘the wrong roads we’ve taken’ Jimmy Santiago Baca wrote the collection, “Winter Poems Along the Rio Grande” in 2004 after living on the banks of that river. Every morning, he ran through snow, rain and mud in a ritual that he called a spiritual experience. By Jennifer Hijazi
Oct 23 Watch 5:11 Why this poet couldn’t avoid writing about the opioid crisis By PBS NewsHour The opioid crisis has plagued poet William Brewer’s hometown in West Virginia. His vivid poems tell the story of the opioid epidemic from different voices and depict the sense of bewilderment people find themselves in as addiction creeps into their… Continue watching
Sep 29 Mapping Seattle, poem by poem By Lorna Baldwin Seattle's "Poetic Grid" captures the rapidly changing city by asking people to write about locations that have meaning to them. Continue reading
Jul 24 This poet’s obsession with death led her to write about how to live By Elizabeth Flock Nicole Sealey's new poetry collection asks us if, like the Greek figure of Sisyphus, we can find contentment even when life is difficult and absurd… Continue reading
Jul 17 The rage and rebellion of the Detroit riots, captured in one poem By Elizabeth Flock Fifty years ago this month, a protest in Detroit turned into a riot, which turned into five days of violence that left dozens dead, thousands arrested and a city engulfed in flames. The poem "They Feed They Lion" chronicles the… Continue reading
Jun 23 4 poets you need to read, from new poet laureate Tracy K. Smith By Elizabeth Flock Last week, the Library of Congress selected Tracy K. Smith as the new U.S. Poet Laureate. Here, Smith shares the poetry she recommends reading right now. Continue reading