Jan 12 Watch 7:21 Stuck behind bars, a writer found a way to connect to the world By PBS News Hour Reginald Dwayne Betts grew up an honor student with hopes for college, but went to prison at 16 for carjacking, his first run-in with the law. Reading, and poetry in particular, became a comfort and gave him a new identity. Continue watching
Dec 29 Watch 6:25 Poet Robin Coste Lewis evokes the black female form across history By PBS News Hour "Voyage of the Sable Venus," the first collection from Robin Coste Lewis, is the winner of this year's National Book Award for poetry. Lewis discussed her debut, her readers and her influences with Jeffrey Brown at the Miami Book Festival. Continue watching
Dec 15 Watch 6:46 Why Bill Murray gets up to recite poetry every year By PBS News Hour Bill Murray loves poetry. He loves poetry so much he trades comedic one-liners for lines of poetry at a yearly benefit for Poets House, a nonprofit library and cultural center in New York City. Special correspondent Francesca Maxime reports. Continue watching
Jul 22 Watch 4:42 Pulitzer winner wants his readers to question their limits By PBS News Hour When Gregory Pardlo found out he won the Pulitzer Prize for his book “Digest,” he thought there had been some mistake. Jeffrey Brown speaks to Pardlo -- the author of two collections but not previously well-known within the poetry community… Continue watching
Aug 19 Simin Behbahani, Iran's national poet, dies at 87 By Victoria Fleischer Iran’s national poet Simin Behbahani died Tuesday of heart failure at the age of 87, according to the country’s official news agency. Behbahani was an iconic figure of modern Persian literature, affectionately referred to as “the lioness of Iran” by… Continue reading
Apr 07 Watch Iowa Writers' Workshop, Famous for Training Top Writers, Turns 75 Jeffrey Brown reports on the Iowa Writers' Workshop, the nation's oldest and most prestigious postgraduate writing program for elite writers and poets. The workshop celebrates its 75th anniversary this year. Continue watching
Jan 26 Watch In Chaos of Post-Earthquake Haiti, Artists Create Poetry Amid Rubble On his recent reporting trip to Haiti, Jeffrey Brown explored the story of Haitian poets and artists surviving -- and creating -- amid the rubble of last year's earthquake. Continue watching
Mar 21 Watch Israel's Poetry Reflects Story of a Nation Poets played a major role voicing the hardships and joys during Israel's founding. Today, the poetry scene is more fractured, much like the land itself. Three prominent Israeli poets reflect on the situation. A follow-up piece will feature Palestinian poets. Continue watching