Short Works for the Peripatetic Web Surfer
From the category archives:
by Neal Whitman the Poetry Prof
What do I profess this month? A story first. Last month, I gave a tour of the Robinson Jeffers Tor House in Carmel, California, to a three-generation family of six. It was Grandma’s 86th birthday. I asked, “How old do you think Jeffers will be on his birthday on January [...]
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By Ted Kooser, U.S. Poet Laureate, 2004-2006
Class, status, privilege; despite all our talk about equality, they’re with us wherever we go. In this poem, Pat Mora, who grew up in a Spanish speaking home in El Paso, Texas, contrasts the lives of rich tourists with the less fortunate people who serve them. The titles of [...]
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by Darla Himeles
Last month, I wrote about the value in breaking out of forms, of tweaking them to keep them interesting and current. This month, I’d like to introduce you to a little form called the fib. When we were young, telling or writing fibs was worthy of punishment; with these fibs, there is nothing [...]
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by Neal Whitman the Poetry Prof.
In a half-filled auditorium, a poet was reading a poem about the death of a child… It was pretty sad stuff… Afterward, an audience member came up to say how sorry he was for the poet’s loss. “I appreciate that, but the thing is, I’ve never had any kids. That [...]
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by Ted Kooser, U.S. Poet Laureate, 2004-2006
In celebration of Veteran’s Day, here is a telling poem by Gary Dop, a Minnesota poet. The veterans of World War II, now old, are dying by the thousands. Here’s one still with us, standing at Normandy, remembering.
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by Neal Whitman the Poetry Prof.
It’s odd what poetry can do for us, and doesn’t do. It can save lives individually, but not collectively. [Charles Wright from his Introduction to The Best American Poetry, 2008. Scribner Poetry, 2008.]
Welcome back to this feature inaugurated one month ago. If you are new, a caveat: I am not [...]
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