Poetry News Archives

John Updike, Anne Tyler and Walter Isaacson were among the more than 100 authors who participated in a poll initiated by the nation's book critics on the year's best releases. via Myrtle Beach Online

ahhhh....It's that time of year again...

It seems as if in those days, everyone I knew, by late November ... early December had a motorcycle parked in their living room.

If Kim Addonizio ever experiences artistic fear, she doesn't wear it on her sleeve. via The Modesto Bee

“The idea is really to provide more opportunity for students to explore poetry as a viable literacy tool”

In formats ranging from free verse to rap, they voice their feelings on world events, discuss their goals and dreams, and profess their middle school love for each other. via Contra Costa Times

Author Michael Ondaatje has nabbed a fresh literary accolade, winning another Governor General's Literary Award on Tuesday for his latest novel, Divisadero . via CBC

Was Bikerpoetry Month a success? or The true measure of a mile. By Bikerpoet K.Peddlar Bridges, Roadpoet eMagazine Editor and motorcyclegoodies.com Columnist Copy Editor: MarySusan Williams-Migneault ...

Whatcom Poetry Series returns after a one-year hiatus Poet James Bertolino is surrounded by poetry books in his "poetry shed," a quiet and somewhat isolated place near his home where he often writes.

Charles Simic was born in Yugoslavia on May 9, 1938. His childhood was complicated by the events of World War II. He moved to Paris with his mother when he was 15; a year later, they joined his father in New York and then moved to Oak Park, a suburb of Chicago...

Its the post, not the poet - Former New Jersey poet laureate Amiri Baraka was back in the news recently.

GRAND COTEAU - Fiddling Poet Ken Waldman will perform music and poetry at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. via The Daily Advertiser

Prepared by Eyad N. Al-Samman Yemeni poet, intellectual and writer Abdullah Saleh Al-Baradoni was born in Dhamar governorate's Al-Baradon village in 1929. via Yemen Times

“Serious, thoughtful, dark, tenacious, meticulous, curious, handsome, polite, intelligent, straightforward.”

Name: Thomas Carr Age: That's personal, but I weigh 140 pounds! Personal/family: Single; no family in the United States. via The Journal Times

“He used to wander stark naked through the woods carpeted with violets.”

Paul Roche, a noted English poet and translator who was among the last living associates of the Bloomsbury group, the skein of artists and writers twined around Virginia Woolf and her family, died on Oct. via New York Times

“Why did I use that word, and how will that usage affect meaning later in the poem when the same word is used again? A similar word?”

In This Year You Write Your Novel , Walter Mosley writes of having taken several poetry workshops at the City College of New York in Harlem, and he says that though he has yet to write "even a passable poem," ... via Kate's Book Blog

LAUNCHING OF TRANSLATION OF "COLLECTION OF POEMS" BY CHARENTS TAKES PLACE IN ITALY Noyan Tapan Nov 23, 2007 ROME, NOVEMBER 23, NOYAN TAPAN - ARMENIANS TODAY. via Groong Armenian News Network

“A good world - / dew drops fall / by ones by twos.”

An economy of means, a sense of stillness and transience, Japanese poetry shares many of the qualities of Old Irish verse. via Guardian Unlimited

“It was as if I were a member of a persecuted minority, a Jew in an antisemitic society, a black among racists.”

Created on a canvas of needless pain: a poet who inspired the underbelly It was through the late Vernon Scannell - boxer, army deserter and largely unrecognised poet - that I learned to love verse Simon Jenkins ... via Guardian Unlimited

Lecture Hymns are based on ragas while kritis have a poetic structure. S.A.K.Durga "The origin of music is poetry." Dr. via The Hindu

“So, we didn't know differently.”

Poet Elaine Ipson reflects on her life's experiences and her recently published book "Circle of Light in a Smelter Town" at her Stansbury Park home. via Tooele Transcript Bulletin

“And you were in the caf because . . .?”

I hesitate to admit this, being an English teacher, but we are currently in my least favorite unit in my freshmen English class. via The Citizen

The Vermillion Literary Project will host a poetry reading and poetry slam on Thursday, Nov. via Plain Talk

“He is playing at the peak of his form. He's in perfect health and he would like to go out at the top of his playing form”

Alfred Brendel, the pianist who during his six decades of performances has mastered the works of Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert, will retire from the concert stage next year. via 7cities

Joseph and the Turtle Doves One nested within each upturned palm, he held them as if to loft them into flight, soft warm breasts rapidly beating within, as below the extended belly of Mary that first morning ... via National Catholic Reporter

“I read and write a lot. I'm a struggling poet”

The intense 'Rang De Basanti' actor Kunal Kapoor, who picks his roles with utmost care, reveals that cinema is only one of his predominant passions. via Earth Times

“For that contest, you had to make something that wasn't alive, alive”

Some writers spend a lifetime trying to get their work recognized, but Murfreesboro's 14-year-old Laura Abell has had hers noticed three times already. via The Daily News Journal

In this post Leo Babauta from Zen Habits explores the art of minimalistic blogging. via ProBlogger Blog Tips

“We can fix anything wrong in the world but all of the houses have to have more books.”

News-Graphic/Jeff Kerr Frank X Walker speaks to Royal Spring Middle School students Wednesday. via News Graphic

How can I possibly resist? 'The Complete Poetry and Essential Prose of John Milton' edited by William Kerrigan, John Rumrich and Stephen M. Fallon , has a price tag to match its size. via Agony Column

“He was a guy who I got on with reasonably well and I just really appreciated how talented he was.”

FRAMED: Barry Woolston has donated this portrait of James K Baxter to the New Zealand Portrait Gallery - it was painted 22 years ago by convicted murderer Carl Otto. via Stuff

“Who is this poor sot, thinking he's a poet?”

I don't know if John Martin has closed the gaps left by the five hundred or so posthumous collections of Bukowski's work, replete with seemingly every line the man scribbled on a bar napkin, but the world ... via Karga

“Yer eyes are black like skies is blue”

Poetry of 'Beowulf' is more like masonry than music The good-humored whimsy of comic strips from bygone times is a reliable mood-lightener, and I encountered an old Popeye strip recently that spilled over into ... via Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

“Nature caresses us. Like our mother.”

Brendan Kennelly is one of the world's great poets, and for the last few months he has lived among us, playing hide and seek with muses on Chestnut Hill. via The Boston Globe

“I opened the fire door to four lips/none of which were mine/kissing”

After 17 years of putting out albums, Ani DiFranco still loves her old songs. It's the recordings she doesn't like.

The Buffalo singer-songwriter came to this conclusion after compiling the new 'Canon,' a 36-song career retrospective, as well as a book of poetry, lyrics and paintings titled 'Verses.' For 'Canon,' DiFranco tinkered elaborately with the track listing, including original versions of 1996's 'Dilate' and 1998's 'Little Plastic Castle' as well as a devastating live 'Untouchable Face' and five re-recorded fan favorites, including 'Your Next Bold Move' and 'Shameless.' Read more

“I try to keep the winking to a minimum and to hoist these authors by their own petard.”

Best of the worst featured in tribute Presenting their favorites at a recent "sometimes annual" gathering in Cambridge are Bad Poets Society members Lin Nulman, Colin Buckley, Sarah Bazydola, and Gene Doucette. via Boston Globe

“For a Tampax advertisement, I came up with 'Stick 'em up,' but they never used it”

Although he no longer has to, poet Robert Phillips still gets up at a 4 a.m. every day. via Victoria Advocate

Anyone who has come into contact with Somali culture will be aware of the central rle poetry plays in that culture. via Harowo.com

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.”

EVENT INFO David D. Horowitz will discuss his poetry anthology "Limbs of the Pine, Peaks of the Range" at 4 p.m. today at Village Books, 1200 11th St. via Bellingham Herald

“There is a degree of trust involved in this process and we're assuming that although not all parents are able to monitor the progress of their child every time, we hoped this encouraged them to be involved and cooperative”

In an effort to instil the importance of reading in students, Science College yesterday held its MB 1 Reading Challenge Programme and Poetry Competition Prize and Certificate Presentation Ceremony at the ... via BruDirect

“Gosh -- really? Just for looking at it?”

Both the actor Chris Langham and the 'lyrical terrorist' Samina Malik have been condemned only for what they thought Matthew Parris When in September the TV actor from The Thick of It, Chris Langham, was ... via Times Online

INSPIRATION AND EFFORT 1 Inspiration is always a very uncertain thing; it comes when it chooses, stops suddenly before it has finished its work, refuses to descend when it is called. via Musepaper

“A wonderful old bird is the pelican. His bill will hold more than his belican. He can take in his beak food enough for a week, but I'm damned if I can see how the helican!”

Please print the poem about the pelican. Perhaps you are referring to the limerick written in 1910 by Dixon Lanier Merritt: "A wonderful old bird is the pelican. via Daily Times

The poet and author Vernon Scannell has died after a long illness. He died peacefully at his home in Otley, west Yorkshire, his family said. via Skegness Today

“I get such a rush. I definitely want to get the schools involved so I can feature student artists.”

A local man wants to open doors for artists in Fairview while at the same time opening the eyes of the community to art in all of its forms. via The Tennessean

“It's trying to come up with an enigma and express it succinctly”

EARLIER THIS WEEK it was announced, not surprisingly, that Virginia has the highest percentage of vanity plates in the country. via PilotOnline.com

“For that reason, the other sections of Islam -- like Sunnis, like Ismaili, like Sufis -- not only haven't the same rights in the constitution and the political and judicial systems of Iran, they aren't considered real Muslims”

Clashes in Iran this week between security forces and followers of a mystic Sufi order have underlined what international human rights groups say is the increasing "demonization" of Sufi Muslims in Iran. via Weekday Magazine - Azerbaijan

“What town hosts Nevada's largest cowboy poetry event?”

From the desk of Diane Gauthier-Novak, Museum Assistant Is this the year you hope to give really unique gifts? Gifts that do not cost the rent but are truly special? Have we got a deal for you. via Reno Gazette-Journal

“I know that's way ahead of me”

STAUNTON - Thirty-six young black women stood across from one another in a circle on the gymnasium floor Thursday afternoon. via Staunton News Leader

“My book is my mind. It has my love and my heartbreaks.”

Cheryl Archibold's blessed year seems to have started with a bit of advice from a former sister-in-law. This past spring, she was Cheryl Gloster, and she felt she was struggling with her life. via Valdosta Daily Times

“Classical music was there at home constantly. But initially I decided I didn't want to do musicyou know how it isyou don't want to do what your parents did. But the sanskaar that I imbibed then is playing a huge role in my life now.”

If you appreciated the songs of Parineeta, you would be curious about the lyricist Swanand Kirkire, who's dipped his feather in ink from the 1950s and 60s to pen songs for the period film Khoya Khoya Chand ... via The Hindu

“It was challenging teaching such a diverse group. Some had never written before but the standard of the poetry was so good it was hard to leave any out.”

POETRY GARDEN: Poetry in the Gibberd Garden editor Barbara Wood-Kaczmar with the poetry anthology An anthology of poetry from Bishop's Stortford is going on sale at Ottakars bookstore in the town. via Bishops Stortford Citizen

“But once we came all together, it just seemed so seamless”

University of Redlands theater professor Stephen Shade has thought about putting Shakespeare's sonnets into a performance format for years. via Redlands Daily Facts

“I'm very sorry to miss this one chance to dress up in a tuxedo in front of so many representatives from the world of literature, and say thank you”

With the United States fighting an increasingly unpopular war in Iraq, stories of espionage and critiques of foreign policy were winners at the 58th annual National Book Awards. via Baltimore Sun

“The ideas that we have about art, that we have about the world we live in, that we have about our human mission are interrelated and connected to the geography we grow out of”

Gov. Kathleen Blanco has named a professor emeritus at the University of Louisiana-Lafayette as the state's next poet laureate. via The Item

“We've had youth slams, and other poetry readings here, but when we were invited [by the owners of the Gallery] we had to do it.”

Slam poetry is a form of competitive poetry, where poets share their vision of the world and are judged on their lyrical and performance skills. via Times-Standard

“You may find that accepting this inevitable fact about your life will not be easy”

L anguage is an inexact method of communication. Once used, words immediately abstract the situation. via Art Voice

“After Nadia's death lots of things have ended for me.”

TWO years ago police discovered the battered body of Nadia Anjuman, a young Afghan poet already known in literary circles for her poignant poems about the misery of being a woman in Afghanistan. via The Star Online

“My poetry is all crafted. I don't write spur of the moment type things. The one form I have written the most is blank verse, following that would be sonnets.”

Sunday evening Pacifica poets are presenting a poetry festival at Pacifica Performances Sanchez Concert Hall. via Pacifica Tribune

"God Is Not Great" author Christopher Hitchens, "Tree of Smoke" novelist Denis Johnson and four debut writers were among the finalists Wednesday night for the National Book Awards. via KVML

Ali Esfandiari known as Nima , was born in the village of Yush located in the Iranian northern province of Mazandaran, PressTV reported. via IranMania News

“Kids are so used to experiencing poetry in terms of reading it but seeing it acted out can make an absolute difference”

Dressed simply in khakis, tennis shoes and blue T-shirts that read "Metaphors Be With You," two performers spun poetry to an auditorium filled with seemingly apathetic high school students. via Floridatoday.com

Once again, does and a buck from the nearby woods have jumped over our fence, raided our garden, nibbled on our fresh greens. via National Catholic Reporter

“Who knew the World Trade Center was gonna get bombed "Who told 4000 Israeli workers at the Twin Towers "To stay home that day "Why did Sharon stay away?”

New Jersey poet laureate gave reading in 2002 of controversial poem about 9/11 Poem suggests "Israelis" had advance warning of attacks on World Trade Center Firing poet Amiri Baraka not allowed, so officials ... via CNN

“Everything in a school becomes something to write about”

At first glance, it might not appear to the average person that a pencil crushed by a departing school bus, a green bug on a teacher's coffee cup, or a carving project dropped in the toilet have anything in ... via Connecticut Post

Forget your bath on Saturday night. The evening's filled with literary things to do instead. via Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

A poet, a painter, a composer and a dancer have today been named the University of Otago's 2008 Arts Fellows. via MyTown

“I would call it evening relaxation. According to an old custom, it used to be called "leading the goat”

By Dmytro DESIATERYK, The Day Photos by Taras DMYTRIV Yurii Andrukhovych is a cosmopolitan. via The Day

“My best friend was really, really good on guitar”

Marc Perry's band members include from left to right, Roy Lamar, Marc Perry, Jon E. Gee, Steve Prince and Zeb Calister. via Houston Community Newspapers

“The handwritten words we have now reunited with the pictures are perhaps the most important and newest thing in this show”

Eight recently discovered watercolours by British Romantic poet and artist William Blake are being shown publicly for the first time by Tate Britain in London. via CBC News

Criticism is the exercise of judgment in the area of art and literature. It is the overall term for studies concerned with defining, analyzing, and evaluating works of literature. via Yemen Times

Ocean Beach Writer Michael Klam present his new collection, Emma and the Buddha Frog, for Drunk Poets Society, Monday, November 12, 6 p.m., at Winstons Beach Club . via San Diego Reader

Blue's Cruzio Cafe -- what poetry will look like in the 21st century, after we get a little farther into the new millennium. via Rocket Kids

“And so my friends, these cigarette ends, they mark the noble sight / Where the underpaid of the building trade went...for a brief respite!”

Yes, that Pam Ayres. The Pam Ayres who, throughout the seventies, appeared on Russell Harty, Opportunity Knocks and Val Doonican with her thick accent, her poetry and a look that, were it worn by a milk maid, ... via DVD Times

Advisor: Mrs. Simpson The Edgewood Poetry Club began last winter. We meet weekly to share our love of poetry, both through reading and writing. via IHigh

University of Wisconsin -Barron County will host the second event in its new Sustainable Literatures Reading Series at 7 p.m. today in the Commons at the UW-BC campus. via Spooner Advocate

“I can't say enough about the schools, teachers, and citizens of the United States”

Students at one local school paid our troops, past and present, a special tribute in honor of Veterans Day this Sunday. via WNWO-TV Toledo

Borehamwood poets are being asked to put pen to paper and write about their home town, with the chance of winning 1,000. The free poetry competition is open to all UK residents, and the only requirements are ... via This is Local London

“He never thought the boundaries were restricted. He'd go anywhere and try anything. He was a courageous person, a great person, fully confident, with a great sense of optimism.”

Norman Mailer, the macho prince of American letters who for decades reigned as the country's literary conscience and provocateur with such books as "The Naked and the Dead" and "The Executioner's Song" died ... via York News-Times

“The generals lock up Sassoon for opposing the war, and in so doing they put him right alongside Owen, who was about to write - largely made possible by Sassoon - the greatest anti-war poetry ever written.”

JEREMY Paxman, the Newsnight frontman who has made his reputation as a presenter so ferocious even Rottweilers are scared of him, has a confession to make. via The Scotsman

“I feel ashamed. This was me showing off, trying to be something I wasn't, trying to get that popularity from male users.”

A shop assistant at Heathrow airport who called herself the Lyrical Terrorist has become the first woman to be convicted under the Terrorism Act. via Times Online

“Give up it for the lady who signed for Blue Scholars”

The sign on the back of the building has long advertised that the Moore Theatre is "Available for Legitimate Shows." But there was a question leading up to Wednesday's event about the legitimacy of a show ... via Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Poetry and Nature go together like espresso and biscotti, like John and Paul, like tomatoes and garlic. via Big A little a

“Degenerate Britons! Are ye dead to shame,/ Or, kind to dulness, do you fear to blame?”

Behold them, reader, and despair Boris Johnson has turned his hand to poetry. His debut volume is all about family life. via Guardian Unlimited

Liberty resident publishes book of poems November 9, 2007 Liberty resident Romy Piccolella has recently published a chapbook of poems titled "Tether." This limited edition is her first collection. via Star-Gazette.COM