poetry

The tweeted poems took a tack a tad more modern than the one depicted here.

Arts

'I Think That I Shall Never See, A Poem As Lovely As ... One On ATC'

6:57pm April 02, 2016

by Colin Dwyer

For National Poetry Month, All Things Considered asked listeners to tweet poems of their own — including the rhyme that tops this story. The plot thickened when a high school English class jumped in.

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A statue of Juan Ponce de León in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Arts

#NPRreads: 3 Stories That Will Pass Into Legend

9:20am March 19, 2016

The deep history and literary roots of cowboy poetry. The messiness of family mythologies. And the visions — or delusions — for sale when athletes join forces with multi-level marketers.

The power of the verses by 14th century Persian poet Hafez draws tourists to his tomb in Shiraz.

In Iran, A Poet's 700-Year-Old Verses Still Set Hearts Aflame

9:14am February 12, 2016

by Steve Inskeep

The 14th century Persian poet Hafez remains venerated in Iran, even though he wrote of wine, romance and other topics not necessarily welcome in today's Islamic Republic.

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Crystal balls can't help you tell the future. Nothing can, as Southern California Gas Co. knows.

National

Gas Company's Business Disclaimer Might Inspire Existential Dread*

4:45pm January 28, 2016

by Camila Domonoske

*Or it might not. After reading Southern California Gas Co.'s 618-word disclaimer on its leaking-gas-well updates, all we know for sure is that the future is a complete mystery.

Books
Arts

Eileen Myles Offers A Double Shot Of Punk Rock Poetry

10:03am October 25, 2015

by Craig Morgan Teicher

The veteran poet's beloved 1994 novel Chelsea Girls has been reissued alongside a new collection, I Must Be Living Twice. Myles' poems chronicle a life of art and sex in gritty 1970s New York City.

Anna Akhmatova, who lived from 1889 to 1966, was a beacon of artistic courage in the face of repression during Soviet times. Her work is now receiving renewed attention.

An Unexpected Revival For A Beloved Russian Poet

3:10pm October 14, 2015

by Corey Flintoff

Singer Iris Dement's new album is based on the work of the late Anna Akhmatova, whose spare, insightful lines addressed the ambiguities of love and the tumult of Soviet times.

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Simon Armitage frowns with dignity after being awarded the Commander of the British Empire medal at Buckingham Palace in 2010. Though he began the nomination process for the Oxford post as an underdog, he emerged from the ensuing drama with the professors

Books
Arts

After Verses Turn To Versus, Poet Emerges With Renowned Oxford Post

5:47pm June 19, 2015

by Colin Dwyer

If you didn't know better, you might mistake the hubbub for American politics. But amid the fickle endorsements and dust-ups, poet Simon Armitage won election as the newest Oxford professor of poetry.

Sister Mary de Lourdes Fahy transformed a one-room schoolhouse into the the Kiltartan Gregory Museum dedicated Yeats.

In The Rolling Hills Of Galway, Spirit Of W.B. Yeats Lives On

2:26pm June 15, 2015

by Ari Shapiro

Saturday marks the 150th birthday of William Butler Yeats, one of the 20th century's greatest poets. In far western Ireland's County Galway, Yeats found inspiration in the people and landscape.

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Before William Faulkner became a Nobel Prize-winning novelist, he published some unsuccessful poetry.

Books
Arts

William Faulkner Makes Us Wonder: What's So Great About Poetry, Anyhow?

10:03am April 30, 2015

by Juan Vidal

William Faulkner — one of the great American novelists — thought of himself as a failed poet. Which made our critic Juan Vidal wonder: What is it about poetry that makes us hold it above other arts?

Claudia Rankine was nominated for a National Book Award for Citizen.

Books
Arts

Black Bodies In White Words, Or: Why We Need Claudia Rankine

12:55pm March 04, 2015

by Syreeta McFadden

Writer and photographer Syreeta McFadden says that when she's challenged to prove the existence of everyday racism, she directs friends, allies and enemies to Claudia Rankine's powerful Citizen.