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  • 40 Powerful Black History Month Poems for Kids of All Ages

    40 Powerful Black History Month Poems for Kids of All Ages

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    Black history is American history, so it should be recognized every day. That said, every February, we have an opportunity to educate our students about the important events and figures that shaped this nation, while highlighting the realities we’re still facing today. To enhance these conversations, we’ve put together this list of powerful Black History Month poems for kids of all ages. We’ve also included brief biographies of these talented Black poets.

    Note: Due to the nature of this topic, some Black history poems include references to slavery, violence, and death. Please review the poems before using them with your students to make sure they’re appropriate.

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    Poems by Famous Black Poets

    Familiarize your students with these famous black poets by reading some of their top poems during Black History Month.

    BLK History Month by Nikki Giovanni

    “If Black History Month is not viable …”

    Nikki Giovanni initially wrote collections of poetry surrounding the militant themes of the Black Arts Movement. Eventually, she went on to publish 11 illustrated children’s books and penned poems such as Knoxville, Tennessee. She was the first recipient of the Rosa Parks Woman of Courage Award.

    Life Doesn’t Frighten Me by Maya Angelou

    “Shadows on the wall …”

    Born Marguerite Annie Johnson, Maya Angelou was a poet, novelist, educator, memoirist, actress, civil rights activist, and so much more. She was shaped by experiences while living overseas in Egypt and Ghana, and worked alongside Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. (who was, tragically, assassinated on Angelou’s birthday). Her autobiography I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1970) was the first bestseller written by an African American woman. “On the Pulse of Morning,” one of her most famous poems, was recited at the 1993 inauguration of President Bill Clinton. Angelou received countless awards and earned more than 50 honorary degrees from various universities.

    Mother to Son by Langston Hughes

    Mother To Son by Langston Hughes “Life for me ain't been no crystal stair.”

    “Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.”

    James Mercer Langston Hughes wrote many famous poems that are perfect for sharing with kids during Black History Month. He began writing poetry in his teens. After high school, he completed a year at Columbia University and worked as a cook, busboy, and seaman as he traveled to Mexico, Africa, and Europe. His first book of poetry, The Weary Blues (Knopf, 1926), received mixed reviews, but his first novel, Not Without Laughter (Knopf, 1930), won the Harmon Gold Medal for literature. Hughes was known for the insightful, relatable way he portrayed Black life from the 1920s through the 1960s in America.

    February 12, 1963 by Jacqueline Woodson

    “I am born on a Tuesday at University Hospital …”

    Jacqueline Woodson has written more than 30 books for children and adults, earning honors such as the Coretta Scott King Award, the National Book Award, the Newbery Honor award, and the Margaret A. Edwards Award for lifetime achievement in writing for young adults. From 2018 to 2019, she was the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, and she served as the Poetry Foundation’s Young People’s Poet Laureate from 2015 to 2017.

    Truth by Gwendolyn Brooks

    truth by Gwendolyn Brooks “And if sun comes…”

    “And if sun comes …”

    In her poetry, Gwendolyn Elizabeth Brooks often wrote about ordinary people and their daily struggles and celebrations. In 1950, she became the first Black American to win a Pulitzer Prize. She went on to become the Poet Laureate of Illinois and the United States. She was the first Black woman inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

    The Hill We Climb by Amanda Gorman

    “We’ve learned that quiet isn’t always peace … “

    Amanda Gorman caught the nation’s eye (and heart) with this inspiring poem, written and read at President Joe Biden’s inauguration in January 2021. In 2017, she was named the first-ever National Youth Poet Laureate, and in 2021 became the first to perform a poem at the Super Bowl. Her poetry collections for adults and children have been bestsellers, making her one of today’s most famous Black poets.

    A Negro Love Song by Paul Laurence Dunbar

    A Negro Love Song by Paul Laurence Dunbar “Seen my lady home las' night…”

    “Seen my lady home las’ night …”

    Born to parents enslaved before the American Civil War, Paul Laurence Dunbar began writing poetry and short stories when he was only a child. He became his high school literary society’s president. At just 16, the local newspaper published his first poems. He later became one of the first internationally known Black writers and even wrote the lyrics for In Dahomey (1903), the first all-Black musical comedy produced on Broadway.

    Short Poems for Black History Month

    Harlem by Langston Hughes

    “What happens to a dream deferred?”

    This is one of Hughes’ most well-known poems, in which he wondered if a dream deferred would “dry up, like a raisin in the sun?” These lines inspired Lorraine Hansberry’s play A Raisin in the Sun, one of the most popular plays of the 20th century. Pair this Black history poem with readings from the play to give students a more complete picture of daily life for many Black Americans during the 1950s.

    For Trayvon Martin by Reuben Jackson

    For Trayvon Martin by Reuben Jackson “Instead of sleeping…”

    “Instead of sleeping / I walk with him from the store …”

    For more than 20 years, Reuben Jackson served as curator of the Smithsonian’s Duke Ellington Collection in Washington, D.C. An educator and mentor with the Young Writers Project, Jackson’s many music reviews appeared in the Washington Post and other publications.

    Won’t you celebrate with me by Lucille Clifton

    “born in babylon / both nonwhite and woman …”

    Lucille Clifton’s first book of poems, Good Times (Random House, 1969), was recognized by the New York Times as one of the best books of the year. Five years later, she left her government job and became a prolific poet, serving as Maryland’s Poet Laureate from 1979 to 1985. Her many accomplishments included winning the National Book Award, an Emmy Award, and being nominated for a Pulitzer Prize.

    The Tradition by Jericho Brown

    “Aster. Nasturtium. Delphinium.”

    Before earning his Ph.D., Jericho Brown worked as a speechwriter for the mayor of New Orleans. His work The Tradition (Copper Canyon Press, 2019) earned him the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for poetry. Additional honors include a Whiting Writer’s Award, fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as the 2022 Academy of American Poets Fellowship. Currently, Brown is an associate professor of English and Director of the Creative Writing Program at Emory University.

    Malcolm X, February 1965 by E. Ethelbert Miller

    “I will die this month.”

    Self-described “literary activist” E. (Eugene) Ethelbert Miller earned a BA in African American studies from Howard University and serves on the board of progressive multi-issue think tank the Institute for Policy Studies. In addition to his poetry collections, Miller authored a memoir and edited multiple anthologies. The recipient of the 1993 Columbia Merit Award, First Lady Laura Bush honored him at the White House. Miller has held many academic positions, including director of the African American Studies Resource Center at Howard University since 1974.

    Sonnet by James Weldon Johnson

    Sonnet by James Weldon Johnson “My heart be brave, and do not falter so…”

    “My heart be brave, and do not falter so …”

    James Weldon Johnson was a writer, civil rights activist, and leader of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). His poems, anthologies, spirituals, and novel became known during the Harlem Renaissance. Johnson wrote the lyrics while his brother, J. Rosamond Johnson, composed the music for “Lift Every Voice and Sing,”  later known as the Negro National Anthem. President Theodore Roosevelt appointed Johnson as U.S. Consul in Nicaragua and Venezuela. He later became the first Black professor at New York University.

    Frequently Asked Questions: #7 by Camille T. Dungy

    “Is it difficult to get away from it all once you’ve had a child?”

    The author of four collections of poetry and editor of anthologies, Camille T. Dungy’s honors include two NAACP Image Award nominations, NEA Fellowships in poetry (2003) and prose (2018), and two Hurston/Wright Legacy Award nominations. Dungy is currently a professor at Colorado State University. Her works can be found in more than 30 anthologies.

    Alternate names for black boys by Danez Smith

    Alternate names for black boys by Danez Smith

    “1. smoke above the burning bush.”

    Danez Smith is a founding member of the multicultural, multigenre Dark Noise Collective. Published in numerous journals and magazines, they have been honored with the Lambda Literary Award and the Kate Tufts Discovery Award, as well as fellowships from Cave Canem, the McKnight Foundation, and Voices of Our Nation (VONA). They were also named a 2011 Individual World Poetry Slam finalist.

    Billie Holiday by E. Ethelbert Miller

    “Sometimes the deaf / hear better than the blind …”

    Sometimes, a few simple words are all you need to spark classroom discussion. Miller used only seven brief lines to write about singer Billie Holiday’s impact on her audiences, but students can spend much more time writing about or debating the meaning behind these powerful words.

    Black History Month Poems for Young Students

    Knoxville, Tennessee by Nikki Giovanni

    Knoxville, Tennessee by Nikki Giovanni “I always like summer best…”

    “I always like summer best …”

    The imagery and description in this quietly evocative work is easy for kids to understand, showing them that poems can be relatable, no matter what your age. Ask them to write their own poem about the season they like best, describing the things that make it their favorite.

    Ballad of Birmingham by Dudley Randall

    “Mother dear, may I go downtown …”

    Dudley Randall started writing at just 13 years old with his first poem published in the Detroit Free Press. He graduated from high school three years later and went on to work at Ford Motor Company until he was laid off. While working as a postal carrier, he befriended poet Robert Hayden. Randall was drafted and served during World War II before earning a BA in English and an MA in Library Science. After working as a librarian and poet-in-residence at several universities, he became involved in the Black Arts Movement, established Broadside Press, and published works by Black poets.

    Dreams by Langston Hughes

    Dreams by Langston Hughes

    “Hold fast to dreams …”

    Hughes knew that dreams are common to all, no matter what color their skin. In eight simple lines, he compares a life without dreams to “a broken-winged bird” and “a barren field.” Ask your students to come up with more metaphors and add their own lines to this popular and compelling example of Black poetry.

    The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander

    “The swift and sweet ones who hurdled history and opened a world of possible …”

    A bestselling author, poet, producer, and more, Kwame Alexander has written nearly 40 books to date. His work The Undefeated is a poem turned into a gorgeously illustrated picture book for kids. It won numerous awards, including the Caldecott Medal and Newbery Honor, and hearing him read it aloud in this video is a terrific way to share both Black poetry and Black poets with your students.

    Lessons by Jacqueline Woodson

    “Mama wanted us to learn to cook …”

    Many kids will identify with the story of a mother who wants her girls to learn to cook, while the boys are allowed to pick peaches and play outdoors. She eventually allows her daughters to join them, but notes that someday it may be “too late” for her to teach them at all.

    Learning To Read by Frances Ellen Watkins Harper

    “Knowledge didn’t agree with slavery …”

    Frances Ellen Watkins Harper was a poet, journalist, fiction writer, and activist who published many collections of poetry, several novels, and essay collections. During Reconstruction, she fought for women’s rights, civil rights, and equal educational opportunities. She co-founded the National Association of Colored Women, was a member of the American Women’s Suffrage Association, and served as director of the American Association of Colored Youth.

    History Lesson by Natasha Trethewey

    History Lesson by Natasha Trethewey “I am four in this photograph…”

    “I am four in this photograph …”

    Natasha Trethewey, the author of five collections of poetry, served two terms as the Poet Laureate of the United States. She is the recipient of fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the Academy of American Poets, the Rockefeller Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Beinecke Library at Yale, and the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard. She has also served as a Chancellor of the Academy of American Poets since 2019 and was awarded the 2020 Rebekah Johnson Bobbitt Prize in Poetry for Lifetime Achievement from the Library of Congress.

    I saw Emmett Till this week at the grocery store by Eve L. Ewing

    “looking over the plums, one by one …”

    Eve Louise Ewing is a poet, author, visual artist, and sociologist. She’s conducted research in the sociology of education on school closures, specifically in Chicago. A former editor at Seven Scribes, Ewing published a collection of poetry centered around the Chicago race riot of 1919. The tenured professor at the School of Social Service Administration at the University of Chicago is also the author of Marvel’s Ironheart comic book series.

    Earthrise by Amanda Gorman

    “It was our world’s first glance at itself … “

    Gorman shifts gears in this poem about climate change, a topic many of today’s kids worry about too. Drawing inspiration from the famous photograph taken by Bill Anders aboard the Apollo 8 spacecraft, she writes of the need to look at Earth as a whole, a living organism for which we all bear great responsibility.

    More Inspiring Poems for Black History Month

    The Slave Auction by Frances Ellen Watkins Harper

    The Slave Auction by Frances Ellen Watkins Harper “The sale began—young girls were there…”

    “The sale began—young girls were there …”

    This heart-wrenching poem pulls no punches, as Harper describes a scene still all too common when she was a child living in Maryland. Difficult though it is to read and picture, these are the Black history stories that we must ensure are never forgotten and never repeated.

    Tending by Elizabeth Alexander

    “In the pull-out bed with my brother …”

    Elizabeth Alexander currently serves as a Chancellor of the Academy of American Poets. She was chosen by Stephen Dunn, Jane Hirshfield, and Lucille Clifton to receive the Jackson Poetry Prize from Poets & Writers. Alexander’s memoir, The Light of the World (Grand Central Publishing, 2015), was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. In 2009, she composed “Praise Song for the Day” and recited it at President Barack Obama’s first presidential inauguration.

    Dirt by Kwame Dawes

    “We who gave, owned nothing …”

    Kwame Dawes was born in Ghana, raised in Kingston, and went on to study and teach in New Brunswick, Canada. His Progeny of Air (Peepal Tree Press) received the Forward Poetry Prize for Best First Collection. In addition to his poetry, Dawes has published several works of fiction and edited many anthologies. His numerous honors include a Guggenheim Fellowship for Poetry, the Musgrave Silver Medal, and an Emmy Award. He currently serves as a Chancellor’s Professor of English at the University of Nebraska.

    A Place in the Country by Toi Derricotte

    “We like the houses here.”

    Toi Derricotte has published numerous books of poetry and has earned honors including the Frost Medal from the Poetry Society of America, the Barnes & Noble Writers for Writers Award, and fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Derricotte is professor emerita of English at the University of Pittsburgh and served as a Chancellor of the Academy of American Poets from 2012 to 2017.

    Facing It by Yusef Komunyakaa

    “My black face fades …”

    Yusef Komunyakaa’s formative years came right at the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement. After serving as a correspondent in the U.S. Army and earning a Bronze Star as managing editor of the Southern Cross during the Vietnam War, he began writing poetry. Over the years, he’s published numerous poems and books and received multiple honors including the 2011 Wallace Stevens Award and a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. Komunyakaa was elected a Chancellor of the Academy of American Poets in 1999 and currently serves as a distinguished senior poet in New York University’s graduate creative writing program.

    To the woman I saw today who wept in her car by Bianca Lynne Spriggs

    “Woman, I get it.”

    Bianca Lynne Spriggs has published five collections of poems and co-edited three poetry anthologies. With a focus on the connection between the identity of Black women in America’s South, art, and community, Spriggs draws from folklore, mythology, science fiction, and surrealism. Her honors include five Artist Enrichment Grants from the Kentucky Foundation for Women, an Al Smith Individual Artist Fellowship in Poetry, and the Sallie Bingham Award for feminist expression in the arts.

    Virginia Is for Lovers by Nicole Sealey

    Virginia Is for Lovers by Nicole Sealey

    “At LaToya’s Pride picnic …”

    A former executive director for the Cave Canem Foundation, Nicole Sealey has been honored with the Drinking Gourd Chapbook Poetry Prize and was a finalist for the 2018 PEN Open Book Award. Sealey was also the recipient of a 2014 Elizabeth George Foundation Grant.

    Black Laws by Roger Reeves

    “Fuss, fight, and cutting the huckley-buck …”

    Roger Reeves’ poems have appeared in numerous journals, earning him a 2013 NEA Fellowship, two Bread Loaf Scholarships, a Ruth Lilly Fellowship by the Poetry Foundation, two Cave Canem Fellowships, and an Alberta H. Walker Scholarship from the Provincetown Fine Arts Work Center. Reeves is currently an assistant professor of poetry at the University of Illinois, Chicago.

    Eddie Priest’s Barbershop & Notary by Kevin Young

    “Closed Mondays …”

    As a student at Harvard University, Kevin Young joined the Dark Room Collective, a community of Black writers. The author of many books of poetry and nonfiction essays, he was awarded a Stegner Fellowship from Stanford University, the Quill Award in Poetry, and the Paterson Award for Sustained Literary Excellence. After serving as the Atticus Haygood Professor of Creative Writing and English and curator of Literary Collections and the Raymond Danowski Poetry Library at Emory University for roughly a decade, Young is currently the director of the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of African American History and Culture and the poetry editor of the New Yorker.

    Coal by Audre Lorde

    “Is the total black, being spoken …”

    Audre Lorde was an influential radical feminist, professor, writer, and civil rights activist. She described herself as a “black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet” who “dedicated both her life and her creative talent to confronting and addressing injustices of racism, sexism, classism, and homophobia.” As a poet, she was masterful and left behind an incredible legacy.

    Nina’s Blues by Cornelius Eady

    Nina's Blues by Cornelius Eady

    “Your body, hard vowels …”

    The author of several collections of poetry, Cornelius Eady was a finalist for the 2001 National Book Award in Poetry and nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. Along with Toi Derricotte, Eady founded Cave Canem in 1996. The nonprofit organization provided Black poets with fertile ground for intellectual engagement and critical debate. Eady’s honors include a Lila Wallace-Reader’s Digest Award, the Prairie Schooner Strousse Award, and fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, Rockefeller Foundation, and the Guggenheim Foundation. Eady is currently a professor at SUNY Stony Brook in Southampton.

    Rwanda: Where Tears Have No Power by Haki R. Madhubuti

    “Who has the moral high ground?”

    Haki R. Madhubuti is an educator, author, publisher, and poet. Among his greatest accomplishments is the founding of Third World Press, the oldest independent Black publishing house in the United States. His many honors include the Distinguished Writers Award, American Book Award, and fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

    The Gospel of Barbecue by Honorée Fanonne Jeffers

    “Long after it was necessary / Uncle Vess ate the leavings …”

    In her work, Fanonne Jeffers takes a close look at race, culture, religion, and family. Her very first book, The Gospel of Barbecue (2000), was selected by Lucille Clifton for the Stan and Tom Wick poetry prize and was a 2001 Paterson Poetry prize finalist. Among her many honors, Jeffers received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and won the Harper Lee Award for Distinguished Writer of the Year. Currently, Jeffers is an associate professor of English at the University of Oklahoma, where she teaches creative writing.

    In Memoriam: Martin Luther King, Jr. by June Jordan

    In Memoriam: Martin Luther King, Jr. by June Jordan

    “honey people murder mercy U.S.A.”

    June Millicent Jordan has several poems perfect for sharing with older kids during Black History Month. In addition to being a poet, she was also a teacher, essayist, and activist. Passionate about using Black English in her poetry and writing (and encouraging others to treat it as its own language), the themes she explored included race, gender, representation, and immigration. In 2019, the National LGBTQ Wall of Honor within the Stonewall National Monument inducted Jordan.

    Notes on the Peanut by June Jordan

    “Hi there. My name is George Washington Carver.”

    Most people think of peanut butter when they hear Carver’s name (although he didn’t actually invent that). His scientific work was much broader and incredibly significant, but all anyone seems to remember him for is the peanut, as Jordan’s witty and sardonic poem reflects. Take this opportunity to learn more about Carver and his important agricultural and scientific studies.

    What are your favorite Black History Month poems for kids? Come share and discuss in the We Are Teachers HELPLINE group on Facebook!

    Plus, check out these Black History Month Activities for February and Beyond.

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    Jeanne Croteau

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  • Japan's imperial family hosts a poetry reading with a focus on peace to welcome the new year

    Japan's imperial family hosts a poetry reading with a focus on peace to welcome the new year

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    TOKYO — A mother’s love and a yearning for peace flowed from Japanese Empress Masako’s poem, read Friday at an annual celebration of poetry at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo.

    The poem sings of how Masako was touched by what her daughter, Princess Aiko, wrote after her school trip to the southern Japanese city of Hiroshima, which was devastated by an atomic bomb in the closing days of World War II.

    Starting the new year with poetry is part of Japanese culture. The gathering at the palace is believed to have begun in the 13th century, according to the Imperial Household Agency.

    Among the guests wearing suits, kimono and other formalwear were people who had won awards for their own poems.

    Various works written in traditional “waka” style were presented Friday, solemnly read aloud in a sing-song way, like a chant, as the imperial family watched. Waka — literally meaning Japanese-style song — is short-form poetry that usually follows a 5-7-5-7-7 syllable format.

    Aiko’s poem depicted her fascination with the waka form, which she has studied at Gakushuin University. She marveled at how the art has survived a thousand years, which she imagined to include deep human suffering.

    Emperor Naruhito’s poem affirmed the idea of peace by describing seeing the smiles of all the people during his travels throughout Japan.

    Naruhito — grandson of the wartime emperor Hirohito — and his family are fairly popular, greeted by waving crowds wherever they go. The emperor does not have political power, but he carries symbolic significance for Japan. Naruhito’s father, Akihito, abdicated in 2019. The move is rare for a Japanese emperor, whose reign typically ends upon death.

    The official translation of Masako’s poem reads: “How moved I was to read / My daughter’s deep feelings for peace / After her first visit / To Hiroshima.”

    ___

    Yuri Kageyama is on X: https://twitter.com/yurikageyama

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  • “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” Worksheet Activity

    “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” Worksheet Activity

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    The poems of Robert Frost are perfect for introducing students to the beautiful world of poetry, and “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” is definitely one of our favorites. This poem, full of lush imagery of a forest quietly being covered by snow is one students can easily understand, making it ideal for deeper analysis. This free poetry activity includes a beautifully illustrated copy of the poem, plus a two-page student worksheet with questions that will guide them through analyzing Frost’s famous poem. A teacher answer key is also provided.

    What’s included in the “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” worksheet activity?

    This free poetry activity includes a beautifully illustrated copy of the poem, a two-page worksheet with questions that will guide students through analyzing Frost’s famous poem, and a teacher answer key.

    “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” Poem Handout

    Perfect for printing, give each student their own copy of the poem to read and transact with. You can also print out a copy and display it as a classroom poster!

    “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” Student Handouts

    Pictures of the student handouts of the "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" Poetry Worksheet Activity

    The 12-question student handout is perfect for introducing your class to poetry analysis. The first questions ask students for their initial thoughts and impressions of the poem. Then, they’ll analyze the rhyme scheme and mood Frost creates. The activity wraps up by asking students how they interpret the poem. An answer key provides teachers with guidance as needed.

    Ways To Use the “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” Worksheet Activity

    There are many ways to incorporate this activity into your English/Language Arts or Reading class:

    • Keep it on hand as a supplemental activity for students who are early finishers.
    • Offer it as an extra-credit opportunity.
    • Use it as part of an emergency substitute teaching lesson plan.
    • Turn it into a group activity: Students analyze the poem with a small group and then share their thoughts with the rest of the class.
    • Use the activity as an assessment tool at the beginning or end of your poetry analysis unit.

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    Meghan Mathis

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  • Megan Fox Hints Relationship With ‘Narcissist’ MGK Is ‘Killing’ Her – Perez Hilton

    Megan Fox Hints Relationship With ‘Narcissist’ MGK Is ‘Killing’ Her – Perez Hilton

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    Did Megan Fox write a tell-all memoir? No, not exactly. But she wrote the cryptic Instagram post version of one!

    Her new book Pretty Boys Are Poisonous has us trying to analyze poetry like we’re back in freshman year! Only this time we have a much better handle on the context — which is to say, Megan’s love life! And she seems to want to rage, rage, against the tying of the knot with Machine Gun Kelly!

    The Jennifer’s Body star refers in verse to a “32-year-old narcissist” and a “complacent rock star” who only pretends to have good intentions. Not hard to figure who she’s talking about. She also writes in a poem titled “a beautiful boy is a deadly drug”:

    “You are an addiction that no amount of prayers will ever cure / You are killing me but my heart won’t give you up”

    “Killing” her?? Uh… DAMN. That doesn’t sound good.

    Related: Justin Timberlake & Jessica Biel ‘There For Each Other’ Amid Britney Spears Book Backlash

    It sounds like Megan is cognizant of how toxic her relationship is right now, something we’ve heard from sources close to the couple in recent months as they called off their wedding and came close to breaking up. But she can’t let it go? She also continues to refer to her “true love, twin flame” — something she has consistently called MGK almost from the start.

    [A warning to readers: be careful about using that kind of language — “soulmate” and “twin flame” — early in a relationship. It can be a self-fulfilling prophecy; when you find out maybe you don’t get along as well as you thought, you can sometimes think you must be wrong to doubt the relationship because it would mean you were wrong about the “twin flame” label. It’s the type of thing that can keep people in toxic or abusive relationships. Just something to keep in mind.]

    Anyway, all this doesn’t sound healthy for Megan. But maybe it’s just for dramatic effect? It is poetry, after all. Hmm.

    Obviously the Transformers alum isn’t playing around with the book. She also opened up about the rumored miscarriage she and MGK suffered. And in other pieces she revealed details of abuse she’s suffered at the hands of an ex-boyfriend. In an interview about the book, she confirmed that was based on a real ex, saying:

    “Throughout my life I have been in at least one physically abusive relationship and several psychologically very abusive relationships… I have only been publicly connected to a few people, but I shared energy with, I guess we could say, who were horrific people. And also very famous — very famous — people. But no one knows that I was involved with those people.”

    Fans are already speculating on who her abuser was. One famous ex’s name has come up many times — because Shia LaBeouf has already been accused by other exes of behavior matching what’s in the poems.

    So yeah, we’re definitely reading these poems closely. How about YOU? Are you reading Pretty Boys Are Poisonous? More to the point, are you reading into it like we are??

    [Image via MEGA/WENN.]

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    Perez Hilton

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  • 25 Popular Edgar Allan Poe Poems (Free Printables!)

    25 Popular Edgar Allan Poe Poems (Free Printables!)

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    Edgar Allan Poe was a prolific writer, known for a number of literary achievements. As a short-story writer, he was famous for his Romantic and Gothic fiction, as well as for innovations in science fiction, horror, and detective stories. But this genius wordsmith also loved to write poetry, penning more than 70 works of verse in his short life. These 25 Edgar Allan Poe poems are among his best, showing his mastery of language and literary devices.

    Get the full text of each poem as a free printable to use with your students by filling out the form.

    The Raven

    “Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,
    Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore—”

    Published in 1845, toward the end of his life, “The Raven” is easily Poe’s most popular poem. The haunting rhyme and repetition throughout evoke an eerie mood that draws in even the most reluctant readers of poetry. Unlike some Edgar Allan Poe poems, this one uses accessible language that readers of all ages can understand and enjoy. Those who want to take a deeper dive will find allusions, poetic devices, and more that add further significance to these well-known verses.

    Annabel Lee

    “I was a child and she was a child,
    In this kingdom by the sea,
    But we loved with a love that was more than love—
    I and my Annabel Lee—”

    Poe wrote multiple poems about women, often those who had died tragically young. “Annabel Lee” is probably the most famous of these odes, written in simple but evocative language that seems to sing. This was the last full poem Poe wrote before his early death at age 40 in 1849.

    The Bells

    “To the tintinnabulation that so musically wells
    From the bells, bells, bells, bells,
    Bells, bells, bells—
    From the jingling and the tinkling of the bells.”

    From the light jingle of sleigh bells to the heavy toll of funeral bells, Poe explores the sounds and emotions of the eponymous noisemakers. The repetitive use of the word itself becomes progressively more crazed, until the reader can feel those bells ringing inside their own heads. This is a popular poem for teaching onomatopoeia, as well as how changes in meter can affect the overall feeling of a composition.

    A Dream Within a Dream

    “All that we see or seem
    Is but a dream within a dream.”

    It’s a thought that comes to many of us at one time or another: What if all of life is really just one long dream? A reference to “grains of the golden sand” evokes the image of an hourglass, with the precious seconds of life draining away relentlessly. The narrator vainly wishes to freeze time, keeping just one grain from “the pitiless wave,” but to no avail.

    Sonnet—To Science

    “Science! true daughter of Old Time thou art!
    Who alterest all things with thy peering eyes.”

    Edgar Allan Poe Poems Sonnet to Science

    Like many poets, Poe worried that advances in science would remove a sense of mystery from the world. Scientists seek to answer questions the narrator feels are better left to the imagination, wishing to be left “in his wandering / to seek for treasure in jeweled skies.” Written as a traditional 14-line English sonnet, this poem includes several classical literary allusions that modern readers may need to research to fully understand their meaning.

    The Haunted Palace

    “But evil things, in robes of sorrow,
    Assailed the monarch’s high estate;
    (Ah, let us mourn!—for never morrow
    Shall dawn upon him, desolate!)”

    First written as a standalone poem, “The Haunted Palace” was later incorporated into Poe’s masterful short story “The Fall of the House of Usher.” When read as part of the larger work, this poem reflects the disordered mind of a man haunted by literal and emotional phantoms. The haunted palace itself is written as a metaphor, with two windows for eyes and the door an open mouth through which “a troop of Echoes” sing.

    Eldorado

    “‘Over the Mountains / Of the Moon,
    Down the Valley of the Shadow,
    Ride, boldly ride,’ / The shade replied,—
    ‘If you seek for Eldorado!’”

    The legend of El Dorado, a mythical city made of gold, perpetuated throughout the settling of the Americas. This brief poem tracks the journeys of a knight who spends an entire lifetime in search of the storied treasure. As his life draws to a close, he asks a “pilgrim shadow” to point the way. The answer seems to indicate that death and the afterlife are the only place to find the true Eldorado.

    The City in the Sea

    “Lo! Death has reared himself a throne
    In a strange city lying alone
    Far down within the dim West …”

    Inspired by works like Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s “Kubla Khan,” Poe wrote of a city in the West, ruled over by Death. It’s a perfect representation of the Gothic themes the author explored so well, personifying Death and imbuing it with human characteristics. Full of repetition and alliteration, “The City in the Sea” is one of many Edgar Allan Poe poems that demonstrate his masterful use of poetic devices.

    To Helen

    “Helen, thy beauty is to me
    Like those Nicéan barks of yore …”

    Poe actually wrote this poem to woman named Jane Stanard, his first love. By calling her Helen, he compares her to Helen of Troy, fabled for her incredible beauty. At first reading, this poem may feel inaccessible to many modern readers unfamiliar with the classical allusions throughout. A little research into the names and references reveals the flattering similes and metaphors that describe the subject’s beauty and grace.

    Lenore

    “Ah broken is the golden bowl! the spirit flown forever!
    Let the bell toll!—a saintly soul floats on the Stygian river …”

    Edgar Allan Poe Poems Lenore

    In this ode, Poe uses the name “Lenore,” later found in “The Raven.” This poem came earlier, and tells the story of her lover, Guy De Vere, who chooses to mourn her in his own way. While others want the traditional mournful funereal dirge, the narrator instead proposes a celebration of her passage to paradise. Note the emphasis on the letter “L” throughout, a common device in Poe’s poetry.

    Alone

    “From childhood’s hour I have not been
    As others were—I have not seen
    As others saw—”

    Written when Poe was just 20 years old, this poem reflects on his sense of being different than others. It’s bound to resound with many teens, who often believe that they’re alone, with no one who understands how they think or feel. Poe’s descriptions of isolation and inner torment may sound overwrought to some, while others see themselves represented in his revealing words.

    Ulalume

    “It was night in the lonesome October
    Of my most immemorial year …”

    It’s interesting to note that Poe wrote this poem specifically as an elocution piece, which means it was written to be spoken aloud. It’s best read that way even today, noting the emphasis on sound and rhythm. This is another poem full of literary allusions, meaning a little research can help the modern reader make a deeper connection to Poe’s meaning in this lament for lost love.

    Silence

    “There is a two-fold Silence—sea and shore—
    Body and soul.”

    This enigmatic sonnet hasn’t been the subject of nearly as much analysis as some Edgar Allan Poe poems. That makes it an excellent subject for students looking to explore Poe from a new angle, giving their own interpretation to this challenging piece of work. Compare the possible impacts of silence on different people in different situations, considering how it can be a soothing balm—or quiet torture.

    Dream-Land

    “For the heart whose woes are legion
    ’T is a peaceful, soothing region—
    For the spirit that walks in shadow
    ’T is—oh, ’t is an Eldorado!”

    With nearly identical first and last stanzas, this poem describes a place “out of space—out of time.” The narrator details his surroundings and concludes he has “wandered home.” The Dream-Land itself is often considered to be death or the afterlife, a welcoming yet strange place that all travelers must eventually visit.

    For Annie

    “And the lingering illness
    Is over at last—
    And the fever called ‘Living’
    Is conquered at last.”

    Edgar Allan Poe Poems For Annie

    Poe himself considered this longer poem one of the finest he had ever written. The subject, Nancy Richmond, was a woman with whom he had a complicated relationship, platonic but very deep. She supported him through a challenging mental crisis, helping him find a sense of peace and purpose near the end of his life.

    The Conqueror Worm

    “Out—out are the lights—out all!
    And, over each quivering form,
    The curtain, a funeral pall,
    Comes down with the rush of a storm …”

    Originally published on its own, Poe later used “The Conqueror Worm” in his short story “Ligeia.” An audience of weeping angels watches a play unfold in which mimes, “mere puppets,” run about randomly but persistently chasing a “Phantom.” The play ends when “the Conqueror Worm” of Death arrives, putting an end to the tragedy of Man’s life, represented by the mimes. It’s a solemn reflection on the author’s perceived futility of life and the inevitability of death.

    To My Mother

    “My mother—my own mother, who died early,
    Was but the mother of myself; but you
    Are mother to the one I loved so dearly,
    And thus are dearer than the mother I knew …”

    Poe’s own mother died when he was very young, and his father abandoned the family. Edgar was raised by a foster family, but he connected most strongly with his mother-in-law, Maria Clemm. This ode to her will resonate with anyone who feels that a chosen family is just as important (if not more) as the family you’re born into.

    Evening Star

    “And more I admire
    Thy distant fire,
    Than that colder, lowly light.”

    The narrator of this lyric poem finds the moon bright and beautiful but cold and distant. Instead, he admires the evening star, which seems to shine just for him. Poe celebrates the splendor of nature, and perhaps intends it as a metaphor on various types of human relationships.

    Dreams

    “Oh! that my young life were a lasting dream!
    My spirit not awakening, till the beam
    Of an Eternity should bring the morrow.”

    This is one of several Edgar Allan Poe poems about dreams, a theme he returned to again and again. Here, he posits that the happiness of dreams is better than the waking reality. Written in rhyming couplets, the poem and its poet yearn for happy childhood days, which the narrator can only find in his dreams.

    Eulalie

    “I dwelt alone / In a world of moan
    And my soul was a stagnant tide
    Till the fair and gentle Eulalie
    became my blushing bride—”

    Once again, Poe writes of a beautiful woman whose life was cut short, lamenting her loss but celebrating her days. The narrator praises Eulalie for rescuing him from a sad and lonely life, noting that even though she is now gone, she has left him a better person for knowing her. The optimistic tone of the final stanza is in sharp contrast to the funereal feel of many of Poe’s other odes to lovers lost.

    The Sleeper

    “At midnight, in the month of June,
    I stand beneath the mystic moon.”

    Poe considered this one of his best poems, writing to a friend that it was even better than “The Raven” (though he knew most would disagree). The narrator begins by describing a lovely nighttime scene, filled with flowers and moonlight. But soon the deeper meaning bleeds in, as the reader realizes the narrator stands in a cemetery, watching a grave being prepared for a woman who has died. The rest of the poem describes the deceased, hoping she now sleeps in peace.

    An Acrostic

    “Elizabeth it is in vain you say
    ‘Love not’—thou sayest it in so sweet a way …”

    An acrostic, in which each line of a poem begins with the letter of a word (which is often used as the title) is one of the earliest poetic forms many kids learn. They may be surprised to see accomplished poets like Poe used this form too. This verse, spelling out Elizabeth, was written for one of Poe’s cousins. Unpublished until long after Poe’s death, this is actually one of his earliest known works, written in 1829.

    To One in Paradise

    “Ah, dream too bright to last!
    Ah, starry Hope! that didst arise
    But to be overcast!”

    You’ll find many of Poe’s common themes in this poem: death, the loss of a loved one, dreams, sorrow and depression, and more. Loss has plunged the narrator into the deepest despair, and ultimately, he feels he can only be happy now when he retreats into his dreams. Many consider this one of Poe’s finer works.

    Tamerlane

    “I have no words—alas!—to tell
    The loveliness of loving well!”

    Edgar Allan Poe Poems Tamerlane

    This is one of the longest Edgar Allan Poe poems, telling the fictionalized story of a Turco-Mongol conqueror. The hero sacrifices love for power, ultimately lamenting his choice on his deathbed. Poe himself may have identified with Tamerlane, as he used the name as a pseudonym several times.

    Epigram for Wall Street

    “I’ll tell you a plan for gaining wealth,
    Better than banking, trade or leases—
    Take a bank note and fold it up,
    And then you will find your money in creases!”

    Short and witty, this anonymously published poem is commonly believed to have been written by Poe. Though there’s some debate over the authorship, the clever use of language is certainly well within Poe’s abilities, although quite different from his usual style. It’s a fun read, full of puns and word play, and bound to be a surprise to students used to Poe’s drearier works.

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    Edgar Allan Poe Poems Feature

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    Jill Staake

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  • Read the Emotional Love Poem Suzanne Somers’ Husband Wrote Before Her Death

    Read the Emotional Love Poem Suzanne Somers’ Husband Wrote Before Her Death

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    Suzanne Somers and husband Alan Hamel took the “til death do us part” portion of their vows very seriously, demonstrating their love for one another until Somers died a day shy of her 77th birthday on October 15.

    “I can’t imagine a night without him,” Somers told People in 2017. “It sounds corny, but we are one.”

    The Three’s Company actress had battled cancer for more than 23 years.

    Hamel was just as besotted with his wife, whom he met on the set of the show The Anniversary Game, which he hosted and on which Somers was a model, in 1969 before they wed in 1977. Hamel was by his wife’s bedside when she died in her sleep Sunday morning, and one of the last things she heard, Somers’ reps said, was a love poem Hamel had written for her in celebration of her birthday. He shared it with her early in light of her worsening condition.

    As Somers’ rep told People of the poem, he “gave it to her a day early and she read the poem and went to bed and later died peacefully in her sleep.”

    Written in all capital letters, Hamel’s ode explores the depth of his love for Somers, struggling to find a way to describe it and reading in part, “55 YEARS TOGETHER, 46 MARRIED AND NOT EVEN ONE HOUR APART FOR 42 OF THOSE YEARS. EVEN THAT DOESN’T DO IT. EVEN GOING TO BED AT 6 O’CLOCK AND HOLDING HANDS WHILE WE SLEEP DOESN’T DO IT. STARING AT YOUR BEAUTIFUL FACE WHILE YOU SLEEP DOESN’T DO IT.”

    Somers’ representatives shared the late star’s reaction to the poem, which she had planned to share on social media Monday for her birthday alongside the poem’s text, with Vanity Fair.

    ​​“Speaking of love… my beautiful Alan, wrote this for me for my birthday,” Somers said. “WOW. Could I be any luckier to have this epic love in my life? It’s only about who you love and who loves you… and I love you.”

    Read the full text of Hamel’s poem below.

    LOVE I USE IT EVERY DAY, SOMETIMES SEVERAL TIMES A DAY. I USE IT AT THE END OF EMAILS TO MY LOVING FAMILY. I EVEN USE IT IN EMAILS TO CLOSE FRIENDS. I USE IT WHEN I’M LEAVING THE HOUSE.

    THERE’S LOVE, THEN LOVE YOU AND I LOVE YOU!! THEREIN LIES SOME OF THE DIFFERENT WAYS WE USE LOVE. SOMETIMES I FEEL OBLIGED TO USE LOVE, RESPONDING TO SOMEONE WHO SIGNED LOVE IN THEIR EMAIL, WHEN I’M UNCOMFORTABLE USING LOVE BUT I USE IT ANYWAY.

    I ALSO USE LOVE TO DESCRIBE A GREAT MEAL. I USE IT TO EXPRESS HOW I FEEL ABOUT A SHOW ON NETFLIX. I OFTEN USE LOVE REFERRING TO MY HOME, MY CAT GLORIA, TO THINGS GLORIA DOES, TO THE TASTE OF A CANTALOUPE I GREW IN MY GARDEN. I LOVE THE TASTE OF A FRESHLY HARVESTED ORGANIC ROYAL JUMBO MEDJOOL DATE. I LOVE BITING A FIG OFF THE TREE. I LOVE WATCHING TWO GIANT BLACKBIRDS WHO LIVE NEARBY SWOOPING BY MY WINDOW IN A POWER DIVE. MY DAILY LIFE ENCOMPASSES THINGS AND PEOPLE I LOVE AND THINGS AND PEOPLE I AM INDIFFERENT TO.

    I COULD GO ON AD INFINITUM, BUT YOU GET IT. WHAT BRAND OF LOVE DO I FEEL FOR MY WIFE SUZANNE? CAN I FIND IT IN ANY OF THE ABOVE? A RESOUNDING NO!!!! THERE IS NO VERSION OF THE WORD THAT IS APPLICABLE TO SUZANNE AND I EVEN USE THE WORD APPLICABLE ADVISEDLY.

    THE CLOSEST VERSION IN WORDS ISN’T EVEN CLOSE. IT’S NOT EVEN A FRACTION OF A FRACTION OF A FRACTION. UNCONDITIONAL LOVE DOES NOT DO IT. I’LL TAKE A BULLET FOR YOU DOESN’T DO IT. I WEEP WHEN I THINK ABOUT MY FEELINGS FOR YOU. FEELINGS… THAT’S GETTING CLOSE, BUT NOT ALL THE WAY.

    55 YEARS TOGETHER, 46 MARRIED AND NOT EVEN ONE HOUR APART FOR 42 OF THOSE YEARS. EVEN THAT DOESN’T DO IT. EVEN GOING TO BED AT 6 O’CLOCK AND HOLDING HANDS WHILE WE SLEEP DOESN’T DO IT. STARING AT YOUR BEAUTIFUL FACE WHILE YOU SLEEP DOESN’T DO IT.

    I’M BACK TO FEELINGS. THERE ARE NO WORDS. THERE ARE NO ACTIONS. NO PROMISES. NO DECLARATIONS. EVEN THE GREEN SHADED SCHOLARS OF THE OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS HAVE SPENT 150 YEARS AND STILL HAVE FAILED TO COME UP WITH THAT ONE WORD. SO I WILL CALL IT, ‘US’, UNIQUELY, MAGICALLY, INDESCRIBABLY WONDERFUL ‘US.’

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    Kase Wickman

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  • Nobel-Winning Poet Louise Glück Dies At 80

    Nobel-Winning Poet Louise Glück Dies At 80

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    NEW YORK (AP) — Nobel laureate Louise Glück, a poet of unblinking candor and perception who wove classical allusions, philosophical reveries, bittersweet memories and humorous asides into indelible portraits of a fallen and heartrending world, has died at 80.

    Poet Louise Gluck appears at a ceremony honoring her with the National Humanities Medal in the East Room of the White House in Washington on Sept. 22, 2016.

    Glück’s death was confirmed Friday by Jonathan Galassi, her editor at Farrar, Straus & Giroux. She died of cancer at her home in Cambridge, Massachusetts, according to her publisher. A former student of Glück’s, the Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Jorie Graham, said that the author had only recently been diagnosed.

    “I find it very much like her that she only learned she had cancer a few days before dying from it,” Graham said. “Her whole sensibility — both on and off the page — was cut that close to the spine of time.”

    In a career spanning more than 60 years, Glück forged a narrative of trauma, disillusion, stasis and longing, spelled by moments — but only moments — of ecstasy and contentment. In awarding her the literature prize in 2020, the first time an American poet had been honored since T.S. Eliot in 1948, Nobel judges praised “her unmistakable poetic voice that with austere beauty makes individual existence universal.”

    Glück’s poems were often brief, a page or less in length, exemplars of her attachment to “the unsaid, to suggestion, to eloquent, deliberate silence.” Influenced by Shakespeare, Greek mythology and Eliot among others, she questioned and at times dismissed outright the bonds of love and sex, what she called the “premise of union” in her most famous poem, “Mock Orange.” In some ways, life for Glück was like a troubled romance — fated for unhappiness, but meaningful because pain was our natural condition — and preferable to what she assumed would follow.

    American poet Louise Gluck leaves her home in Cambridge, Mass., Thursday, Oct. 8, 2020.
    American poet Louise Gluck leaves her home in Cambridge, Mass., Thursday, Oct. 8, 2020.

    “The advantage of poetry over life is that poetry, if it is sharp enough, may last,” she once wrote.

    In her poem “Summer,” the narrator addresses her husband and remembers “the days of our first happiness,” when everything seemed to have “ripened.”

    Then the circles closed. Slowly the nights grew cool;

    the pendant leaves of the willow

    yellowed and fell. And in each of us began

    a deep isolation, though we never spoke of this,

    of the absence of regret.

    We were artists again, my husband.

    We could resume the journey.

    Poet Tracy K. Smith, a Pulitzer winner, said in a statement Friday that Glück’s poetry had “saved” her many times.

    “I think constantly of these lines from ‘The Wild Iris’: ‘At the end of my suffering / there was a door.’ And of these lines from ‘The House on Marshland’: ‘The darkness lifts, imagine, in your lifetime.’ It is as if her spare, patient syntax forms a path into and through the weight of living,” she wrote.

    In this Sept. 22, 2016, file photo President Barack Obama presents poet Louise Gluck with the 2015 National Humanities Medal during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House in Washington.
    In this Sept. 22, 2016, file photo President Barack Obama presents poet Louise Gluck with the 2015 National Humanities Medal during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House in Washington.

    Glück published more than a dozen books of poetry, along with essays and a brief prose fable, “Marigold and Rose.” She drew upon everything from Penelope’s weaving in “The Odyssey” to an unlikely muse, the Meadowlands sports complex, which inspired her to ask: “How could the Giants name/that place the Meadowlands? It has/about as much in common with a pasture/as would the inside of an oven.”

    In 1993, she won the Pulitzer Prize for “The Wild Iris,” an exchange in part between a beleaguered gardener and a callous deity. “What is my heart to you/that you must break it over and over,” the gardener wonders. The god answers: “My poor inspired creation … You are/too little like me in the end/to please me.”

    “I’ve always had this sort of magical-thinking way of detesting my previous books as a way of pushing myself forward,” she told the Washington Square Review in 2015. “And I realized that I had this feeling of sneaking-up pride in accomplishment. Sometimes I would just stack my books together and think, ‘Wow, you haven’t wasted all your time.’ But then I was very afraid because it was a completely new sensation, that pride, and I thought, ‘Oh, this means really bad things.’”

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  • Kimiko Hahn wins $100,000 award from Poetry Foundation for lifetime achievement

    Kimiko Hahn wins $100,000 award from Poetry Foundation for lifetime achievement

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    Cornelius Eady, Toi Derricotte and Kimiko Hahn are among this year’s winners of awards from the Poetry Foundation, which announced some of poetry’s most lucrative prizes

    ByThe Associated Press

    September 7, 2023, 9:54 AM

    FILE – Toi Derricotte attends the 70th National Book Awards ceremony and benefit dinner at Cipriani Wall Street on Nov. 20, 2019, in New York. Derricotte and Cornelius Eady are among this year’s winners of awards from the Poetry Foundation. Derricotte and Eady won its inaugural Pegasus Award for Service in Poetry, a $25,000 honor. They were cited for their leadership of Cave Canem, an organization which supports Black poets through wide range of programs. (Photo by Greg Allen/Invision/AP, File)

    The Associated Press

    NEW YORK — Cornelius Eady, Toi Derricotte and Kimiko Hahn are among this year’s winners of awards from the Poetry Foundation, which announced some of the poetry world’s most lucrative prizes.

    Hahn, a faculty member of Queens College in New York City whose books include “The Unbearable Heart” and “Earshot,” won the $100,000 Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize for lifetime achievement. Lilly was an heir to pharmaceutical tycoon Eli Lilly who in 2002 bequeathed $100 million to Poetry magazine. The Poetry Foundation was established the following year.

    “Kimiko Hahn’s poetry projects the soul and challenges the human spirit by inviting readers to explore the mysteries of science and nature,“ Poetry Foundation President Michelle T. Boone said in a statement Thursday. “It’s our privilege to acknowledge her decades of advancing poetry through her writing and teaching.”

    The foundation also announced that Derricotte and Eady had won its inaugural Pegasus Award for Service in Poetry, a $25,000 honor. Derricotte and Eady were cited for their leadership of Cave Canem, an organization which supports Black poets through a wide range of programs.

    “The impact of Toi and Cornelius’s work as mentors, collaborators, and advocates cannot be overstated,” Poetry magazine editor Adrian Matejka said in a statement. “As a Cave Canem fellow myself, I have been the grateful recipient of their service to poetry and the path they’ve created for countless other Black poets.”

    Douglas Kearney’s “Optic Subwoof” won the $10,000 Pegasus Award for Poetry Criticism.

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  • Amanda Gorman is ‘gutted’ by school district’s decision to restrict her poem after a parent complained it contained ‘hate messages’ | CNN

    Amanda Gorman is ‘gutted’ by school district’s decision to restrict her poem after a parent complained it contained ‘hate messages’ | CNN

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    CNN
     — 

    The acclaimed poem written by Amanda Gorman for President Joe Biden’s inauguration was moved from the elementary section of a Miami-Dade County public school after a parent complaint and school review, the district confirmed Tuesday.

    A parent of a student at Bob Graham Education Center – a kindergarten through eighth grade school in Miami Lakes – objected to Gorman’s poem “The Hill We Climb,” for which they erroneously listed Oprah Winfrey as the author/publisher, according to documents obtained by the Florida Freedom to Read Project.

    It “is not educational and have (sic) indirectly hate messages,” the complaint said, adding that the poem would “cause confusion and indoctrinate students.”

    The same parent made similar complaints about “Love to Langston,” a poetry-based biography of Black poet Langston Hughes; “The ABCs of Black History” and two books about Cuba, complaints obtained by the nonprofit group show.

    A materials-review panel at the school declined to remove the books from the school entirely but did decide to move the Gorman poem and two other disputed items to the library’s middle school section, which is for grades six through eight, according to minutes of an April meeting of the committee that were obtained by the nonprofit.

    The poem’s removal is the latest consequence of a Florida law that requires the approval of books in classrooms and grants any parent the power to complain about specific works. Under Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican set to run for president, Florida has used this and other “parental rights” laws to ban works on LGBTQ issues, social justice and even math textbooks.

    Gorman, the nation’s first-ever Youth Poet Laureate, was 22 when she performed “The Hill We Climb” at Biden’s inauguration in 2021. Inspired by the Capitol insurrection two weeks earlier, the 700-word poem criticized the “force that would shatter our nation rather than share it” and spoke about the need for justice and social change.

    “The new dawn blooms as we free it,” she concluded the poem. “For there is always light, if only we’re brave enough to see it, if only we’re brave enough to be it.”

    The poem and performance launched her to national stardom, including appearances at the Super Bowl, on the cover of Time and Vogue and atop bestseller’s lists.

    Gorman was “gutted” by the district’s decision, she said in a statement on Tuesday.

    “I wrote ‘The Hill We Climb’ so that all young people could see themselves in a historical moment. Ever since, I’ve received countless letters and videos from children inspired by ‘The Hill We Climb’ to write their own poems,” she wrote. “Robbing children of the chance to find their voices in literature is a violation of their right to free thought and free speech.”

    Miami-Dade County’s mayor on Wednesday invited Gorman to visit for a reading.

    “Your poem inspired our youth to become active participants in their government and to help shape the future. We want you to come to Miami-Dade to do a reading of your poem. If you’re in, we will coordinate,” Daniella Levine Cava wrote on Twitter.

    In a statement to CNN Tuesday evening, Miami-Dade County Public Schools spokesperson Elmo Lugo said, “No literature (books or poem) has been banned or removed.”

    “It was determined at the school that ‘The Hill We Climb’ is better suited for middle school students and, it was shelved in the middle school section of the media center. The book remains available in the media center,” he said.

    Lugo did not respond to a request to verify the authenticity of the complaint documents released by the Florida Freedom to Read Project, instead saying the district would process CNN’s inquiry as a formal public records request.

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  • Vermont capital springs to life through poetry each April

    Vermont capital springs to life through poetry each April

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    MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — As spring starts to blossom in New England, some Vermont communities come to life with the sites and sounds of written verse.

    “These are the honey makers

    The maple sap tappers

    The pollen gatherers

    The elixirs healing the future

    from the spirits of the past,” a woman recited from a poem written by Buffy Aakaash, of Marshfield, Vermont, on Saturday during a poetry parade in Montpelier.

    Each April, the country’s smallest capital city goes all out to celebrate poetry. Storefronts and restaurant windows in Montpelier are graced with poems written by Vermonters of all ages, poets read their works aloud at events — some with musical accompaniments — and poetry workshops meet to discuss the artform. And this year the Montpelier library hosted a first: a poetry parade.

    “We do National Poetry Month better than anybody as far as we can see,” said PoemCity organizer Michelle Singer, the adult programs coordinator for the Kellogg Hubbard Library in the city of about 8,000 residents.

    This year, 350 poems written by residents of 60 Vermont towns are on display in downtown windows, and 30 poetry programs were planned.

    “It’s a walkable anthology that will stay up for the entire month of April and people just experience poetry as they go about their daily tasks in Montpelier,” she said.

    Other cities around the country celebrate National Poetry Month their own way. West Hollywood, California, is holding a poetry “spa day,” and selections of poetry from living poets are displayed on street pole banners along Santa Monica Boulevard. The New York Public Library has free workshops, and the winning poems from a contest in Alexandria, Virginia, are displayed on city buses and trolleys in April and May. In Vermont, two other communities — Randolph and St. Johnsbury — have followed Montpelier’s lead with their own readings and displays of poetry.

    The Academy of American Poets created National Poetry Month in 1996, saying it’s become “the largest literary celebration in the world.”

    “We can confirm that Montpelier’s PoemCity is one of the most extensive city-wide National Poetry Month celebrations,” said academy spokeswoman Michelle Campagna.

    On a drizzling opening day on April 1, Cynthia and Hugo Liepmann strolled around Montpelier reading poems.

    “I think it’s wonderful, but I’m biased because I love poetry,” said Cynthia Liepmann, who writes poetry herself and had a poem up in a storefront. “We were coming home from the farmers’ market so we thought, ‘Well, let’s stop and read some poems before we go home.’”

    They said they like reading works from people they know, pointing out a poem by their state representative to the legislature and remarking on poems written by elementary school students. This year about 100 of the poets are students.

    “It’s a real great demonstration of community literacy. It’s a great role model for little kids,” said poet Rick Agran. “They write their hearts and they publish in a window. We’ll see little groups of after-school girls and boys hit the candy store and then hit the street, and then they bop around and read poems.”

    This past Saturday morning during the so-called “poetry parade,” about a dozen poets walked around the city taking in the poetry as a group experience. At each window, one of them, sometimes the author, read a poem aloud. They clapped after hearing each one, remarking on technique and meaning. The subject matter ranged from love and war to elm trees and the salmon on the poet’s plate.

    “I’ve always done that singularly,” Agran, who led the parade, said of reading the poetry in the windows. “But I always thought it would be cool to try to turn that into a group experience.”

    Also a first for PoemCity, this year the poems have been published in an anthology. Singer said she is happy to see PoemCity back to nearly pre-pandemic levels.

    “There were some years where there was literally a program every single day, which is why I say we kind of do this in this amazing way,” she said. “We have a community that can support nearly a whole program of poetry every single day. That’s a special community. We will have people show up at all of those programs.”

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  • Vermont capital springs to life through poetry each April

    Vermont capital springs to life through poetry each April

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    MONTPELIER, Vt. — As spring starts to blossom in New England, some Vermont communities come to life with the sites and sounds of written verse.

    “These are the honey makers

    The maple sap tappers

    The pollen gatherers

    The elixirs healing the future

    from the spirits of the past,” a woman recited from a poem written by Buffy Aakaash, of Marshfield, Vermont, on Saturday during a poetry parade in Montpelier.

    Each April, the country’s smallest capital city goes all out to celebrate poetry. Storefronts and restaurant windows in Montpelier are graced with poems written by Vermonters of all ages, poets read their works aloud at events — some with musical accompaniments — and poetry workshops meet to discuss the artform. And this year the Montpelier library hosted a first: a poetry parade.

    “We do National Poetry Month better than anybody as far as we can see,” said PoemCity organizer Michelle Singer, the adult programs coordinator for the Kellogg Hubbard Library in the city of about 8,000 residents.

    This year, 350 poems written by residents of 60 Vermont towns are on display in downtown windows, and 30 poetry programs were planned.

    “It’s a walkable anthology that will stay up for the entire month of April and people just experience poetry as they go about their daily tasks in Montpelier,” she said.

    Other cities around the country celebrate National Poetry Month their own way. West Hollywood, California, is holding a poetry “spa day,” and selections of poetry from living poets are displayed on street pole banners along Santa Monica Boulevard. The New York Public Library has free workshops, and the winning poems from a contest in Alexandria, Virginia, are displayed on city buses and trolleys in April and May. In Vermont, two other communities — Randolph and St. Johnsbury — have followed Montpelier’s lead with their own readings and displays of poetry.

    The Academy of American Poets created National Poetry Month in 1996, saying it’s become “the largest literary celebration in the world.”

    “We can confirm that Montpelier’s PoemCity is one of the most extensive city-wide National Poetry Month celebrations,” said academy spokeswoman Michelle Campagna.

    On a drizzling opening day on April 1, Cynthia and Hugo Liepmann strolled around Montpelier reading poems.

    “I think it’s wonderful, but I’m biased because I love poetry,” said Cynthia Liepmann, who writes poetry herself and had a poem up in a storefront. “We were coming home from the farmers’ market so we thought, ‘Well, let’s stop and read some poems before we go home.’”

    They said they like reading works from people they know, pointing out a poem by their state representative to the legislature and remarking on poems written by elementary school students. This year about 100 of the poets are students.

    “It’s a real great demonstration of community literacy. It’s a great role model for little kids,” said poet Rick Agran. “They write their hearts and they publish in a window. We’ll see little groups of after-school girls and boys hit the candy store and then hit the street, and then they bop around and read poems.”

    This past Saturday morning during the so-called “poetry parade,” about a dozen poets walked around the city taking in the poetry as a group experience. At each window, one of them, sometimes the author, read a poem aloud. They clapped after hearing each one, remarking on technique and meaning. The subject matter ranged from love and war to elm trees and the salmon on the poet’s plate.

    “I’ve always done that singularly,” Argan, who led the parade, said of reading the poetry in the windows. “But I always thought it would be cool to try to turn that into a group experience.”

    Also a first for PoemCity, this year the poems have been published in an anthology. Singer said she is happy to see PoemCity back to nearly pre-pandemic levels.

    “There were some years where there was literally a program every single day, which is why I say we kind of do this in this amazing way,” she said. “We have a community that can support nearly a whole program of poetry every single day. That’s a special community. We will have people show up at all of those programs.”

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  • Vermont capital springs to life through poetry each April

    Vermont capital springs to life through poetry each April

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    MONTPELIER, Vt. — As spring starts to blossom in New England, some Vermont communities come to life with the sites and sounds of written verse.

    “These are the honey makers

    The maple sap tappers

    The pollen gatherers

    The elixirs healing the future

    from the spirits of the past,” a woman recited from a poem written by Buffy Aakaash, of Marshfield, Vermont, on Saturday during a poetry parade in Montpelier.

    Each April, the country’s smallest capital city goes all out to celebrate poetry. Storefronts and restaurant windows in Montpelier are graced with poems written by Vermonters of all ages, poets read their works aloud at events — some with musical accompaniments — and poetry workshops meet to discuss the artform. And this year the Montpelier library hosted a first: a poetry parade.

    “We do National Poetry Month better than anybody as far as we can see,” said PoemCity organizer Michelle Singer, the adult programs coordinator for the Kellogg Hubbard Library in the city of about 8,000 residents.

    This year, 350 poems written by residents of 60 Vermont towns are on display in downtown windows, and 30 poetry programs were planned.

    “It’s a walkable anthology that will stay up for the entire month of April and people just experience poetry as they go about their daily tasks in Montpelier,” she said.

    Other cities around the country celebrate National Poetry Month their own way. West Hollywood, California, is holding a poetry “spa day,” and selections of poetry from living poets are displayed on street pole banners along Santa Monica Boulevard. The New York Public Library has free workshops, and the winning poems from a contest in Alexandria, Virginia, are displayed on city buses and trolleys in April and May. In Vermont, two other communities — Randolph and St. Johnsbury — have followed Montpelier’s lead with their own readings and displays of poetry.

    The Academy of American Poets created National Poetry Month in 1996, saying it’s become “the largest literary celebration in the world.”

    “We can confirm that Montpelier’s PoemCity is one of the most extensive city-wide National Poetry Month celebrations,” said academy spokeswoman Michelle Campagna.

    On a drizzling opening day on April 1, Cynthia and Hugo Liepmann strolled around Montpelier reading poems.

    “I think it’s wonderful, but I’m biased because I love poetry,” said Cynthia Liepmann, who writes poetry herself and had a poem up in a storefront. “We were coming home from the farmers’ market so we thought, ‘Well, let’s stop and read some poems before we go home.’”

    They said they like reading works from people they know, pointing out a poem by their state representative to the legislature and remarking on poems written by elementary school students. This year about 100 of the poets are students.

    “It’s a real great demonstration of community literacy. It’s a great role model for little kids,” said poet Rick Agran. “They write their hearts and they publish in a window. We’ll see little groups of after-school girls and boys hit the candy store and then hit the street, and then they bop around and read poems.”

    This past Saturday morning during the so-called “poetry parade,” about a dozen poets walked around the city taking in the poetry as a group experience. At each window, one of them, sometimes the author, read a poem aloud. They clapped after hearing each one, remarking on technique and meaning. The subject matter ranged from love and war to elm trees and the salmon on the poet’s plate.

    “I’ve always done that singularly,” Argan, who led the parade, said of reading the poetry in the windows. “But I always thought it would be cool to try to turn that into a group experience.”

    Also a first for PoemCity, this year the poems have been published in an anthology. Singer said she is happy to see PoemCity back to nearly pre-pandemic levels.

    “There were some years where there was literally a program every single day, which is why I say we kind of do this in this amazing way,” she said. “We have a community that can support nearly a whole program of poetry every single day. That’s a special community. We will have people show up at all of those programs.”

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  • The Case for Britney Spears, Instagram Poet Laureate

    The Case for Britney Spears, Instagram Poet Laureate

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    Here’s the thing: I could google how the poet laureate is chosen, but instead, I’ll give Instagram a quick scroll and acknowledge what in my heart of hearts I know to be true: Britney Spears is the voice we as a society need right now. 

    In a recent grid post on her personal page, the—singer? Guru? Icon? Life coach?—captioned a video of herself dancing to Paula Cole’s “Feelin’ Love” with an original Beat poem that can best be summarized as “lotion good; paparazzi bad; mean-ass gym girlie made me cry extra bad; let’s dance, bitches.” Taken on its face as a prose update, sure, it feels like perhaps it could use a few edits for clarity, but the flow can’t be denied. 

    This isn’t Instagram. This is poetry.

    “Woke up this morning and my skin is so dry!!!” her caption begins. It reads like a text I might send to one of my friends while I brush my teeth, the ones in the tier where they receive updates throughout the day on my snacks and what streaming TV I have on in the background, and, hey, does my earlobe look weird, or is this just what earlobes look like? The same friends who might get a two-minute voice note describing the weird dream I had last night, and I know they’ll listen to the whole thing. 

    Instagram content

    This content can also be viewed on the site it originates from.

    But after mentioning visiting vague “exotic locations,” coating her body in lotion, and commenting on the weather, Spears’s monologue takes a turn: “I want to get out more.” Given her history—a 13-year conservatorship, childhood fame, public scrutiny for decades—this simple phrase, considered, becomes just a little devastating. Spears’s post goes on to detail the saga of getting pap-snapped recently when her car broke down on a drive with husband Sam Asghari. “I looked like an idiot!!!” she writes, lamenting her “facial expression, the way I was leaning over, the pooch in my stomach!!!” It was a “helpless situation,” and she is not pleased with the resulting photos. “It didn’t look like my body,” she writes of that and another recent pap incident. She then drifts back to a personal trainer she met with two months ago. “The first thing she did to me was literally…and I’m not even lying…pinch the skin on my stomach and legs and [tell] me I need to get my younger body back…Why the hell did she do that??? It made me cry.” 

    Spears, 41, has lived a lot of life, both in mundane and extraordinary ways, and ways that are mundanely extraordinary. (She’s given birth to two children, for example, something that a lot of people do, but is not acknowledged for the extremely metal act that it is until someone goes through it themself: mundanely extraordinary.) World tours, courtroom dramas, marriages and divorces, multiplatinum albums, Vegas residencies, extremely memorable moments with Teletubbies—Spears has a lot to unpack, and her no-comments-taken approach (literally; she has the comments turned off on her grid posts) is reminiscent of some favorite contemporary poets like Kate Baer and Janet McNally, who confront aging and motherhood and the ordinary, extraordinary, everyday snapshots of living in a female-shaped body. Take, for example, McNally’s “The Wicked One Goes to the Makeup Counter”: 

    Beauty stays, then goes; / it fades, we say, something about years and sun, the nights we slept / in makeup and left mascara like ashes on the pillowcase. We burned / through every one of our dreams. I wasn’t always a stepmother, you know. / There were whole years when I was a girl.

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    Kase Wickman

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  • Clint Smith Recalibrates With Head-Clearing Runs and Naptime R&B

    Clint Smith Recalibrates With Head-Clearing Runs and Naptime R&B

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    “It Is Halloween Night and You Are Dressed as a Hot Dog” is one of those poems in Above Ground, Clint Smith’s luminous new collection, that plays like a home movie. We know the scene, or some equally winsome version of it, so we are primed for this glimpse into one father’s experience. The first lines pick up where the title leaves off: 

    Why we have chosen to bundle you into a costume
    of cured meat I do not know. But your mother 
    is dressed as a pickle and I am dressed as a bottle
    of ketchup and together we make a family of ballpark
    delicacies.

    The twisted humor of parenthood is on display, as when a stuffed bear momentarily appears to eat the “human-hot-dog-baby / (which sounds unsettling but is actually adorable),” Smith writes. But what gives this spread in the book its disquieting shimmer is the ballpark poem on the opposite page: about New Orleans’ Superdome in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, a designated refuge soon to become its own disaster zone.

    Above Ground, by Clint Smith

    “My home was destroyed like so many other people’s, and I finished my senior year of high school in Houston, Texas,” says Smith, speaking from his parked car shortly after school drop-off in Maryland. (He has two children, ages five and four.) “I’m 34 now and it was 17 years ago, so it very cleanly sort of bifurcated my life in ways that are pretty wild.” Some of the book’s poems have been published previously (the Superdome one ran in the New York Times Magazine), but such juxtapositions heighten the emotional charge. “I wanted poems like that to sit alongside one another because that is how we experience the world. It’s not neatly compartmentalized,” Smith explains. There is no joy today, sadness tomorrow—especially with kids, whose questions about animal arcana (there’s a poem about giraffe horns called “Ossicones”) might coincide with a devastating news alert. In a way, he says, human existence is “just a series of attempts to hold the complexities of life within our bodies, all at the same time.”

    The same goes for Smith’s three-day wellness diary, which glides through distraction and elation and nostalgia. Still, it’s hard not to feel the weight of “It’s All in Your Head,” a poem (written with his wife’s consent) about a grave pregnancy complication dismissively overlooked by a doctor; her self-advocacy proved vital. Can a poem be a call to action, an impetus for keen observation, a time capsule for the next generation? Smith, who often writes during in-between moments (at the barbershop, during naps), is now raising a first-time reader. “It’s just so remarkable to watch the world become legible to him in a different way,” he says of his kindergartener. “It’s almost like somebody who didn’t have the right prescription of glasses, and now, suddenly, everything that was blurry they can see.”

    Thursday, March 9

    5 a.m.: My alarm rings and my hand fumbles on the bedside table in search of the snooze button, which I press, and wonder how close I can cut it before I risk missing my flight this morning. I’m at a hotel near the Newark airport, and I have a 6:30 a.m. flight to Toronto and then Windsor, Ontario, for a story I’m reporting for the Atlantic. I hate early morning flights. I mean truly, I’d rather walk across a bed of hot coals then wake up this early, but it’s the only flight that will get me to my destination with enough time to still make use of the day. I only have 24 hours in Ontario before I have to turn back around and leave. I live in Maryland, but am flying out of Newark because I had a speaking event and book signing at The College of New Jersey last night. I loved spending time with the students and faculty there, they were incredibly thoughtful and asked great questions.

    Onstage with Michael Mitchell at The College of New Jersey.

    Courtesy of Clint Smith. 

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    Laura Regensdorf

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  • Poetic politician: Maine governor’s skills include verse

    Poetic politician: Maine governor’s skills include verse

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    AUGUSTA, Maine — Many Mainers know Democratic Gov. Janet Mills as a level-headed leader, a pragmatic politician or even a former tough-minded prosecutor. But there’s another side to the governor — she’s a poet.

    “If more politicians knew poetry, and more poets knew politics, I am convinced the world would be a little better place in which to live,” Mills said, quoting John F. Kennedy at her inauguration last month.

    Her inner poet emerged after she dropped out of Colby College and headed to San Francisco for the Summer of Love before returning to college and later attending the University of Maine School of Law.

    Mills, who is addressing a joint session of the Legislature on Tuesday to discuss her goals for her second term, said it was in San Francisco in 1967 that she began composing poetry in her head to counter the daylong drudgery of typing forms at an insurance company to pay the bills.

    Decades later, sitting behind her desk in the State House, Mills said she remains convinced that poetry and the arts are essential to being well rounded and understanding the world.

    “I think it behooves us as public policymakers and public officeholders to extend our intellects as broadly as we can,” Mills said. “Poetry and reading are a way of learning the world and opening our eyes and ears to what other people are experiencing.”

    Two of her early poems were published in 1975 in “Balancing Act: A Book of Poems by Ten Maine Women,” compiled by Agnes Bushell, of Portland, who was frustrated that male publishers were giving short shrift to the poetry of women.

    The words of Mills, then a law student, stood out from the other poets, Bushell said. One of her poems was entitled, “He Looks in the Metal Waters,” about a man’s gloomy breakfast routine, and the other was about introspection and irony, “This Fussy Fatality.”

    “Culture isn’t dead. We have a governor who’s a poet. How great is that?” said Bushell, who has since published “Balancing Act 2: An Anthology of Poems by Fifty Maine Women.”

    Mills, whose father gave her a journal at age 5 and whose mother was an English teacher, enjoys transforming journal notes into verse on subjects ranging from the birth of her granddaughter to a painting of a snowy owl by Jamie Wyeth.

    When her husband of three decades, Stanley Kuklinski, died, Mills recorded her memories of him in a poem, recalling loons and tall trees, and writing of “following the river / to another trail.”

    As governor, Mills served on a committee that selected the state’s current poet laureate, Julia Bouwsma. and she restored poetry to inaugurations. Last month, her second inauguration featured not one, but two poets — Bouwsma and Richard Blanco, former President Barack Obama’s inaugural poet.

    Blanco read a poem that he penned, but not before lauding Mills as “an amazing poet in her own right.”

    Wesley McNair, University of Maine at Farmington professor emeritus, recalled Mills attending poetry readings in her hometown, and said prose makes her a better leader.

    “Its beauty comes from the truths it tells,” he said of poetry. “You can’t be a poet without understanding the world and the people in it, and having a compassion toward them.”

    Mills, 75, said she doesn’t write political poetry, but the poem for her granddaughter’s birth started with stanza about male politicians who “Yell on the TV.”

    The poem, written in the hospital waiting room while the TV blared, quickly shifted to hopefulness and optimism surrounding her newborn granddaughter.

    “Eyes and ears / Ready to know / Everything that is new, / Everything that is,” she wrote. “A brain ready / To learn, / A heart ready / To love. / That is your god / Warming your own heart, / That is your god / holding your hand / So tight / Never letting you / Go.”

    ___

    Follow David Sharp on Twitter @David_Sharp_AP

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  • Opinion: How 17 syllables a day can change your life | CNN

    Opinion: How 17 syllables a day can change your life | CNN

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    Editor’s Note: Tess Taylor is the author of the poetry collections “Work & Days,” “The Forage House” and most recently, “Rift Zone” and “Last West: Roadsongs for Dorothea Lange.” Views expressed in this commentary are solely hers. Read more opinion articles on CNN.



    CNN
     — 

    As 2022 fades away and 2023 begins, you might be pondering what practices to begin in the new year, what intentions to set. Some intentions might arrive as a desire to work out more, have a dry January, lose weight; some might be a willingness to deepen or engage a new habit.

    I wanted to share a practice that’s been useful to me, as a writer: To write a haiku, or a loose haiku, every day. For me this habit began in a dark phase, when I realized I just wasn’t getting much creative time. I was feeling depleted. The pandemic was on, my kids needed a lot and I felt brittle and far from my heart.

    A long time ago, I had a poetry teacher at the 92nd Street Y, in New York City, Marie Ponsot. She had raised nine children as a single mother and had gone years without publishing a book of poems. She was a wonderful poet, and deeply wise. She urged everyone she met to nurture their own creative practice, each day. “You can always write one line of poetry,” she’d say. “You can always write one line.”

    Her words came back to me during this strange hard year and I decided, from birthday to birthday, to mark each day with a version of that one line – a rough haiku.

    What I mean by “rough” is this: My haiku didn’t have to be seventeen syllables exactly. It didn’t really have to be 5/7/5 the way sometimes people teach other people to make haiku.

    Instead, I tried to follow guidelines that the poet Robert Hass has described as operating in the haiku of the wise practitioner Matsuo Basho: to include an image that would share the moment in time and an image that would let us know the season of the year.

    Basho’s poems move between wider vistas and specific images like this:

    A cool fall night—
    Getting dinner we peeled
    eggplants, cucumbers.

    Or this:

    Many nights on the road
    and not dead yet:
    the end of autumn.

    I love how in the first poem, early fall is embodied precisely in seasonal eggplants and cucumbers; how in the second poem, many nights on the wild road become a figure for the autumn’s-end sense of needing to be home. I love the way these poems gain energy by rapidly shifting their scale. I decided I’d model my rough haiku after them. Each day, I’d find a precise image from the day, and an image from the wider arc of month or season. This practice would anchor me.

    With this resolution, I was off and jotting. What surprised me was how much this tiny game unlocked a curiosity and energy in the weeks that followed. Maybe the haiku would come first thing in the morning, in minutes before email or coffee. Maybe a little verse would worm its way in between meetings. Maybe I’d notice a bird, dog, child or spider. Maybe I’d record the glinting puddle after the first California rain.

    Whatever it was, I felt more buoyant, more watchful. Looking for the day’s haiku was a way of being present.

    Slowly, I made 365 rough haiku, 365 one-sentence poems. Some days, suddenly, I had a burst of aliveness. Some days I had more poem in me – a letter to a friend, a bit of an essay. Other days, I’d find a bleary deadness and was sure I had no internal life at all beyond spreadsheets and groceries and logistics and deadlines and family illness and afterschool plans for my children. But then the haiku would help me center. I’d scratch out a couple lines, and I’d send a plumbline to the heart.

    Here are a couple I wrote that first December:

    Alarm clock in the early dark.
    The legs of my dreams
    scurry like spiders.

    Or:

    Midnight, half-hearted, rain comes:
    Clap clap, clap clap.
    Then at once: an all-night applause.

    When my haiku year was over, I stopped writing them for a while. But soon I found I missed the way the practice had inspired me. I missed the watchfulness of looking to record some part of even the busiest day. Things have been full here. Our whole family had Covid-19. My husband had surgery. Days crashed over like waves.

    So I started again. My first two haiku were these:

    O sick child in my bed
    I camp outside
    holding health on the sofa

    and

    Where did they go,
    the horses who left
    huge cloudy tails on this winter sky?

    When I started talking to friends about my daily haiku, I found I wasn’t alone. Suzanne Buffam, a poet who teaches at the University of Chicago, connected me with Luke Rodehorst, an account executive at Google, who lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Rodehorst is also a poet who shares a once-a-week email newsletter of his haiku to a wide network of family and friends.

    He has written over 4,440 haiku over the last 10 years. For him, the practice also started as a New Year’s resolution – a way to make himself begin writing. “If I can’t write a poem, I can at least get 17 syllables,” he told me.

    He described how the haiku practice quite literally became an anchor through deep injury. Two years ago, on the eve of his 33rd birthday, while playing with his one-year-old daughter, he felt a searing pain. He’d suffered a brain hemorrhage; a malformation between certain brain cells had led to dangerous bleeding. Rodehorst survived, but the injury led to loss of work and a long, uncertain and even now unfinished road toward healing.

    Over these years, Rodehorst has found that his haiku practice helped him each day. He can do it no matter what is happening to him, good or bad, hospital or no, sick or well. “The creativity helps me fill and map the space that exists,” he told me. “Whatever moment you choose, there’s always something interesting in trying to make sense of it.” For him, turning the creative lens on a moment is like “its own immune system.”

    He elaborated for me: “If you have a creative practice,” he says, “you have this force within you, a way of meeting your life wherever it is.” Which is to say: When we meet our lives with curiosity and the desire to capture, transform, notice and savor, we nourish ourselves and build up our own internal resilience.

    Here are some of Luke’s haiku, which are often bittersweet:

    In hospital bed
    Lilly curled up next to me
    And all these wires.

    Through a pinched eye, I
    See a spinning world – and joy
    In unsteadiness.

    Blood in my brain, but
    It’s the IV of all things
    That makes me queasy.

    And this one, which is also joyful:

    Through kitchen window –
    You laugh, I laugh. Tea kettle
    Whistles along too.

    As the new year begins, I’ll start 2023 by continuing to reflect on Luke’s thoughts about having an art practice as a way of building a kind of immune system. I love the vision of the haiku as a way to steer our attention, just a little, in a world which often wants to use our attention for other purposes. It is good to connect to the selves we want to be, the selves we want to give to others. Of his writing Luke said: “You become aware of the time and attention you are giving to any moment. It’s a way of taking control of your joy.”

    I love the idea of having more awareness and more joy. I love the idea of finding more space, even in the messy world we have, to find the beauty that is already around us. There is always time to write one line. Perhaps you’ll also find that there are 365 one sentence poems leading you a bit closer to your own heart, too.

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  • For Emily Dickinson’s Birthday, Visit Her New England Home

    For Emily Dickinson’s Birthday, Visit Her New England Home

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    Emily Dickinson was born December 10, 1830; the coming anniversary will mark her 193rd birthday. Few 19th century women have had her staying power. Little known during her life, she is regarded as one of the greatest figures of American letters who wrote 1,800 poems that continue to hold our attention and evoke our admiration.

    Now the house she lived in looks again as it did when she was alive.

    “Seventy percent of the interior now is original to the 19th century,” says Emily Dickinson Museum Executive Director Jane Wald. “The rest is filled in with pieces from the Apple TV show.”

    Emily Dickinson’s poetic style of writing was concise and exacting. Perhaps because she eschewed extraneous words, used short lines, slanted rhyme, ambiguous meanings and eccentric punctuation, her poems are still being interpreted and discussed today. They are brilliant examples of minimalism created long before minimalism existed. Her themes include nature, flowers and gardens, relationships, the divine and mortality. Brought up during America’s Second Great Awakening, a time of enthusiastic religious revivals, she was alone among her family members and friends for refusing to profess a Christian conversion. Yet many of her poems reflect a preoccupation with the teachings of Jesus Christ and, in fact, many are addressed to him. She never married and spend much of her life as a recluse, but her poems display a personal knowledge of romantic and carnal love. Through movies, plays, television shows and books we become ever more fascinated with the woman who wore white; who, after her twenties, almost never left her home or even her room; who was famous as a gifted baker and gardener during her lifetime; whose family did not know the extent of her poetic talent and ambition; who became a myth almost immediately after her death in 1886.

    Hers was a prominent family in Amherst, Massachusetts and, befitting their stature, lived in a grand brick Federal house built in 1813. When Emily’s father bought the house in 1855, he had achieved financial prosperity after a period of persistent money troubles. In 1865, he built an Italianate house, The Evergreens, next door to the Dickinson Homestead as a wedding gift for Emily’s brother, Austin, and his wife Susan. Today the two substantial historic houses comprise the Emily Dickinson Museum. Prominently sited on Main Street a half block from the center of town, they are still a persuasive representation of the role of the Dickinson family in 19thcentury Amherst.

    To walk through the high-ceilinged rooms of The Homestead today is to feel and see the world Emily Dickinson inhabited. When the house became a museum open to the public in 2003, occupants had dropped ceilings, installed bathrooms, put up new wallpaper and paint, covered the original flooring with linoleum and other new materials and converted part of the attic to living space. An ambitious project aimed at making the house look as it did during Dickinson’s lifetime has removed a bathroom and new stairs, restored or recreated hardwood flooring and, following careful paint, fabric and wallpaper analysis, put up new wall coverings, paint, floor coverings and window treatments.

    “I thought it was important to change the interior to be more like it was during Emily’s lifetime,” says Jane Wald. “It is a subtle reinforcement of how this poet was moving through space. Without the physicality of her place, it is more difficult to know how her poetry is formed.”

    In Emily’s room, the wallpapered walls wear sprigs of pink flowers. The floor is covered with rush matting and, in front of a window, stands a small writing desk. A mannequin wears a replica of the single white cotton dress of Emily’s that survives; the original is at the Amherst Historical Society. The room’s simplicity and intimacy evokes the spirit of a woman who, while mostly unpublished and unknown during her lifetime, was acknowledged by her siblings as the family’s intellectual and deep thinker.

    “We are making the Emily Dickinson Museum a center for supporting work inspired by her,” says Wald. “We want to amplify her revolutionary poetic voice from her home.”

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    Regina Cole, Contributor

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  • Drake and Justin Bieber among VIPs celebrating the life of rapper Takeoff | CNN

    Drake and Justin Bieber among VIPs celebrating the life of rapper Takeoff | CNN

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    Atlanta
    CNN
     — 

    State Farm Arena was transformed into a church Friday as family and fans gathered to celebrate the earthly departure of Takeoff from Migos.

    The three-hour sendoff was a superstar affair, featuring performances from Justin Bieber, Chloe Bailey and Yolanda Adams, as well as a poem by Drake, and words of remembrance from Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens and the founders of Migos’ label, Quality Control Music.

    Cousin Offset, who along with Takeoff’s uncle, Quavo, formed the platinum hit factory known as Migos, struggled to compose himself remembering his bandmate, who he grew up with and considered a brother. His head down, dreadlocks obscuring his face, he repeatedly apologized.

    “I love you, dog. I love you,” he said.

    Offset hasn’t been able to sleep or eat following the November 1 killing, he told the several thousand people in attendance, most of them dressed in black. Every time he dozes off, he said, he wakes up hoping news of his 28-year-old cousin’s fatal shooting in Houston was a terrible dream.

    “I wish we could laugh again,” he said. “I wish I could smoke one with you.”

    He closed saying how Migos changed the future of music – “You did that, Take” – and called for more brotherhood and fellowship in the world before asking the crowd to pray with him.

    The ceremony opened with about an hour of gospel music. White roses covered the stage and Takeoff’s casket sat at the foot of stairs made to resemble mother of pearl. Acrobats in angel outfits danced in the back corners, suspended from white ribbons as a choir sang. An infinity symbol with Takeoff’s signature rocket emblem at its center ringed the arena, a nod not only to his latest productions but also to how he’ll be remembered – forever.

    Bieber took the stage in a dark toboggan, as box candles on the stadium screens bathed the arena floor in a soft glow. Perched on a stool with only a piano backing him, the two-time Grammy winner performed “Ghost.”

    “And if you can’t be next to me/Your memory is ecstasy/I miss you more than life,” he crooned.

    Drake, who in 2013 catapulted the rising stars into an altogether other universe when he remixed and added a verse to their hit, “Versace,” leaned on British entertainer Joyce Grenfell and writer Maya Angelou in his eulogy.

    He quoted from Grenfell: “If I should go before the rest of you/Break not a flower nor inscribe a stone/Nor when I’m gone speak in a Sunday voice/But be the usual selves that I have known.”

    He then paraphrased Angelou’s “When Great Trees Fall,” a poem on how it’s understandable to be sad when great trees are felled, or when great souls pass, but it’s wise to remember, “They existed. They existed/We can be. Be and be better/For they existed.”

    The hip-hop superstar who just released an album with Atlanta’s 21 Savage then recited his own poem, “We Should Do That More,” remembering how he got to know Migos on their 54-city tour in 2018. He teared up recalling the Swiss wristwatch, an Audemars Piguet, that Takeoff gave him as a gift

    “I miss performing with my brothers,” he said. “We should do that more.”

    Takeoff will always be remembered as the quiet Migo. But several speakers cautioned the crowd not to mistake his silence for a lack of things to say. He is regarded by many as the best rhymesmith of the trio, and Jesse Curney III, pastor of the Lilburn church Takeoff’s family attends, shared a story that Quavo once told him about Takeoff’s sobriquet.

    Where Quavo and Offset needed multiple takes to get their verses onto tracks, retaking and retaking until they got it right, Takeoff – the youngest of the three – would walk up to the mic and lay down his lyrics in one perfect take. “He was an introvert,” the pastor said, “but he trusted God” to not hold back.

    From left, Takeoff, Quavo and Offset of Migos perform in Los Angeles last year.

    Between Bailey’s stirring rendition of Beyonce’s “Heaven” and Adams’ performance of the gospel song, “The Battle is Not Yours,” Takeoff’s family members took the podium to offer fond memories of the humble, wise, peaceful young man who always wanted to be a rapper but never fretted over credit or the spotlight. Even as a baby, he had a unique voice, his mother, Titania Davenport-Treet, said.

    “I could tell his cry from any other child,” she said, adding that God must have given him that voice because he always knew what he wanted to be.

    He was quiet but always paid attention, family members said, and he never bothered anyone. He was the funniest guy in the room, and no matter how famous he got, he never stopped putting family first and making sure their needs were met, they said.

    “He hugged so tight, you could feel the love transferring through him,” his mother said.

    State Farm was a fitting venue for Takeoff’s farewell. The rapper was often courtside – usually with Quavo and Offset – for Atlanta Hawks games, iced out and dripping. For years, his music has bellowed through the PA system during timeouts and replay reviews.

    Though doors did not open until noon, fans began lining up outside the arena at around 8:30 a.m., despite a cool, steady drizzle. Around 10, a woman held her arm out of a passing silver Mazda and barked, “Rest in peace, Takeoff.” The fans in line waved back.

    Kalandrick Woods, 24, and girlfriend Kailey Allen, 20, of Covington were second in line. Woods took the day off as a sandblast machine operator, and they drove about 45 minutes to get downtown.

    Woods became melancholy when asked his favorite song – “Last Memory” off Takeoff’s 2018 debut solo effort – and said it’s still hard to talk about his favorite Migo. He cried when he heard the news, he said.

    “I’m still depressed about it,” he said.

    Woods likes that Takeoff was known to keep to himself, but by no means did that mean he was the lesser third of the group. With every new song, he appeared more developed as a lyricist, able to switch from rapid fire rap to deliberate four- or five-word bursts that painted vivid scenes. He put on mind-blowing displays of lyricism on 2014’s “Cross the Country” and more recently on his and Quavo’s “Integration,” staying on beat like a metronome as he flipped styles on the tracks.

    “Deadshot (brrt)/AK make that head rock (brrt)” is the beginning of Fifi Solomon’s favorite Takeoff verse, though she had to think on it for a few seconds. From Migos’ 2017 hit, “Slippery,” Takeoff goes last – following Quavo, Offset and fellow ATLien Gucci Mane – and brings his band’s Quentin Tarantinoesque cartel personae into graphic focus.

    “He said a lot in just a few words,” Solomon said. “He was the quietest, but I think he was the deepest lyrically.”

    Solomon, 25, and her friend, Nani Kidane, 28, traveled from Migos’ onetime home base of Gwinnett County for the funeral. The band’s impact reached well beyond Atlanta, they said. They were trendsetters in fashion and influenced the way rappers inject ad-libs into their music.

    They also set an example with their work ethic, Kidane said. Takeoff will be dearly missed, she said.

    “I’m a big fan,” Solomon said. “He was my favorite lyrically out of the group, and he’s from where I’m from so it hit harder.”

    Added Kidane, “It hit close to home being from Gwinnett.”

    Maliyah Tindall, 22, of Riverdale, and Sequoia Thomas, 20, of Atlanta, also cited Takeoff’s “Slippery” verse as one of their favorites. The pair drove from Clayton State University in Morrow, about 30 minutes away, to pay their respects.

    “He’s huge for the culture,” Thomas said before the funeral. “They paved the way for a lot of rappers who are going to be here today.”

    “He was quiet but had a big impact,” Tindall said, spurring Thomas to add, “Like a tame lion.”

    Migos were a fixture of Tindall’s and Thomas’ adolescence, they said, and he didn’t always get the recognition he deserved, but he showed up on every track.

    “He’d even take over people’s songs outside Migos,” Thomas said of his features with other artists, including Lil Wayne, Roddy Rich and Travis Scott.

    Takeoff seemed aware of his notoriety as the subdued Migo, but the Lawrenceville-born rap star also seemed ready to shake the reputation, eerily telling the podcast, “Drink Champs,” last month, “It’s time to pop it, you know what I mean? It’s time to give me my flowers, you know what I mean? I don’t want them later on when I ain’t here. I want them right now, so …”

    After more than a dozen Migos mixtapes and four studio albums – two of them platinum – Takeoff and Quavo recently announced they’d be performing as Unc & Phew. Last month, the pair released, “Only Built for Infinity Links,” with Offset noticeably missing. Though the band had not officially broken up, there were rumors of some sort of beef among the trio.

    It was abundantly clear from Friday’s remembrance that Offset would give a lot to speak with his cousin one more time. Migos fans are hopeful that Takeoff’s tragic killing might help Quavo and Offset reconsider whatever drove them to move in different directions.

    “I hope they can set aside their differences,” Solomon told CNN. “You know, come together for Takeoff.”

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  • Scientology Moscow: Poetry of the East, an Evening of Interfaith Harmony

    Scientology Moscow: Poetry of the East, an Evening of Interfaith Harmony

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    Members of many faiths gathered in fellowship for an evening of Oriental poetry at the Scientology Center

    Press Release
    –


    updated: Feb 18, 2018


    MOSCOW, February 18, 2018 (Newswire.com)
    –
    The celebration of World Interfaith Harmony Week brought together people of many faiths and cultures February 6 for an evening of friendship and poetry, music and song. The program featured Afghan poet and author Haydar Shah.

    Mr. Shah’s program included music, poetry and theater. He was joined by other artists and poets who presented their works. Brief videos on the religious beliefs of many religions were also shown.

    Complementing the presentation was a screening of the video ”Respect the Religious Beliefs of Others” that illustrates one of the precepts of The Way to Happiness — the nonreligious common-sense moral code written by humanitarian and Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard.

    World Interfaith Harmony Week was established to promote dialogue among different faiths and religions to enhance mutual understanding, harmony and cooperation. “All of the world’s great religions share the values of peace, human dignity and respect for others,” said UN Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson in his World Interfaith Harmony message for 2018.  

    The Scientology Center, located in Moscow, is a place where people of different beliefs and views can meet and discuss the problems of society and develop and initiate programs of joint action for the benefit of all.

    Source: ScientologyNews.org

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