Britain's Leaders Name Their Favorite Poems
With Britain's National Poetry Day coming up, new Prime Minister David Cameron was asked to offer up his favorite poem. His choice was Wilfred Owen's "Dulce et Decorum Est."
With Britain's National Poetry Day coming up, new Prime Minister David Cameron was asked to offer up his favorite poem. His choice was Wilfred Owen's "Dulce et Decorum Est."
John Lundberg | Posted 11.17.2011
John Milton, the high-minded creator of "Paradise Lost," may have also written the decidedly low-minded poem "An Extempore Upon a Faggot."
John Lundberg | Posted 11.17.2011
My mother likes to tell me that even if I showed up at her door and told her I'd committed a felony--murder, whatever--she would still love me. In honor of that devotion, here are some poems for Mother's Day.
John Lundberg | Posted 11.17.2011
Herman Van Rompuy, President of the European Union and former Prime Minister of Belgium, published a book of haiku this past Thursday. Haiku Herman, ...
John Lundberg | Posted 11.17.2011
Hissa Hilal steps on to the stage of the Abu Dhabi television show. Facing an audience segregated by gender, she recites poetry that boldly calls out for women's rights and the end of extremism.
John Lundberg | Posted 11.17.2011
The murder of Zardasht Osman earlier this month called attention to the growing problem of government crackdowns on writers in Northern Iraq, reminding us not to take our freedom of speech here for granted.
John Lundberg | Posted 11.17.2011
"Two hundred years of words, I will need to describe the destruction my eyes have seen." Those are the words Jean-Dany Jaochim used to describe his home country of Haiti after the quake.
John Lundberg | Posted 11.17.2011
One hundred Hollywood and Broadway stars, including Catherine Zeta-Jones, Cynthia Nixon and Jason Alexander, are recording their favorite poems for a ...
John Lundberg | Posted 11.17.2011
Clifton's poems are accessible and unpretentious, short and sparse, eschewing capitalization and, often, punctuation. They also speak volumes.
John Lundberg | Posted 11.17.2011
In its list of the best and worst of the Olympic opening ceremonies, EW picked as its worst "The collective groan heard throughout living rooms in America when we found out we were about to hear spoken word."
John Lundberg | Posted 11.17.2011
Christine Johnson decided to read an inspirational poem to the Utah legislature. "Say Yes" strikes notes of hope, peace and altruism--themes that aren't antithetical to the Mormon faith.
John Lundberg | Posted 11.17.2011
Elaine Feinstein wrote a blunt but optimistic poem called "Port-au-Prince," McGough penned the musical verse "They Came Out Singing," and Gillian Clarke wrote the haunting poem "Lament."
John Lundberg | Posted 11.17.2011
The premiere of the movie Howl led off the Sundance Film Festival on Thursday night. Their adaptation of Allen Ginsberg's poem, has generated some buzz.
John Lundberg | Posted 11.17.2011
Van Rompuy is becoming known throughout the continent for his passion for writing poetry. Dubbed "Haiku Herman" by the British press, he is said to regularly compose haikus during his daily meetings.
John Lundberg | Posted 11.17.2011
I've been trying to track down English translations of poems by Herta Muller, the newest Nobel Laureate in Literature, but they are awfully hard to come by (if they even exist).
John Lundberg | Posted 11.17.2011
Cue the New Year, when even a man as famously dour as Thomas Hardy can find inspiration. In his poem "The Darkling Thrush," he looks solemnly out at the end of the 19th Century.
John Lundberg | Posted 11.17.2011
The new website PoetrySpeaks is aiming to serve as a social networking hub and online marketplace for poets.
John Lundberg | Posted 11.17.2011
If you read a review of Keith Waldrop's "Transcendental Studies: A Trilogy," this year's winner of the National Book Award, there's a good chance it will include the word "postmodern" or "avant-garde.
John Lundberg | Posted 11.17.2011
Sotheby's expert Gabriel Heaton gave us a hint of their contents, telling the British newspaper The Guardian that "Byron clearly enjoyed writing slightly outrageous things to a clergyman..."
John Lundberg | Posted 11.17.2011
Hope you had a happy holiday, and that your family gathering was greeting card perfect. But perhaps after a few too many baby-induced wake ups and boozy political arguments, you got a little anxious to leave?
John Lundberg | Posted 11.17.2011
The centerpiece of Fred D'Aguiar's new collection of poetry, Continental Shelf, "Elegies" remembers those victims of the shooting at Virginia Tech, where D'Aguiar continues to teach.
John Lundberg | Posted 11.17.2011
Former British poet laureate Andrew Motion ruffled some feathers last week when he complained to the press about how educators teach poetry.
John Lundberg | Posted 11.17.2011
Lou Dobbs resigned from CNN on Wednesday night. Newsweek's longtime senior editor Jerry Adler published a poem in honor of the occasion entitled "Goodbye, Mr. Dobbs."
John Lundberg | Posted 11.17.2011
This week is Banned Books Week here in the U.S., an event sponsored primarily by the American Library Association (ALA) to draw attention to recent acts (and attempted acts) of book banning.
John Lundberg | Posted 11.17.2011
The Pumpkin Spice Latte is back on the Starbucks menu, a sure sign that autumn is almost here (it actually begins on Tuesday). To help celebrate the season, I've collected excerpts from some of my favorite autumn poems below. Scroll down to add YOUR favorites!
John Lundberg | Posted 11.17.2011