Poetry Hut Blog
human rights

Poetry News:

1. — Forgotten treasure from Brazil —
2. — Eyes, and whether or not to trust them, are central to Ode to Psyche by John Keats —
3. — Slain man identified as UC Riverside professor —
4. — Poetry Foundation clarifies the policy on their blog comments —
5. — The Poet’s Poet —
6. — A 21st-century warning from a 13th-century poet —
7. — Web Extra: Selected Poems by Kay Ryan —
8. — Radio 4 poet criticises BBC soaps and aggressive interviewers —

Brace yourselves

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Who voted for Kay Ryan in the poll last week? Raise your hands. Who was the “suggester”? Yay Kay! I think that’s great.

“Kay Ryan, Poet Laureate” anagrams to:

Ya! A natural! Eke poetry.
A yank poetry laureate.
An okay letter aura — yep!

Poetry News:

1. — Unfortunately, poetry in general has a bad reputation —
2. — new lit mag alert —
3. — The Griffin Poetry Prize Announces the 2008 Canadian and International Shortlist —
4. — She did say, though, that her interest in cryptography, the study of coded writing, influenced her poems, along with her love of puzzles —
5. — Never has so much genius,” he wrote, “been combined with so little talent.” I never heard that one before, hahaha.—
6. — Taking the Pain Out of Poetry —
7. — Tracking Olympic Torch Relay, PEN Poem Relay lands in North America —
8. — Next on American Experience - Walt Whitman, Airing April 14, 2008 —

If you are doing NaPoWriMo, there are some writing prompts here

Geez you guys are stingy with the ad clicks, LOL:

I’ve tried to promote poetry as best I know how, but I need to close for a while. (It hasn’t anything to do with adverti$ing pittances.) Have a good remainder of the National Poetry Month. I love you, poets!

No news tomorrow but please enjoy this preview of the forthcoming Huang Xiang exhibit at the downtown Nashville public library. [more about the exhibit]

The photos are courtesy of Paul and Jill, who I sort of know through local Shambhala training (though the circumstances with my health & situation with my parents has made it hard to show up haha).

I read Chögyam Trungpa’s Shambhala book (gulp) 20 years ago & have had a hankering to revisit that practice once again. Now that I am feeling better - onward. Trungpa was, um, controversial haha but solid I think. Crazy wisdom eh?

I was a Buddhist long before I was a poet, funny. Shortly after I began studying with Gehlek Rinpoche, Allen Ginsberg began studying with him, too. That was back when we had teachings in Rinpoche’s garage heh. I think I said hi to Allen Ginsberg like once. He kind of freaked me out haha.

Anway, Om Tare Tu Tare Ture Soha, ya’ll & if you think I’m a flake/kook/flook just ignore me but be sure to enjoy the beautiful sneak preview. Paul told me one of the lines of poetry is:

My heart is a boat moored at the riverbend where I harbor passion all day long for that pair of skinny but pure arms.

Happy Solstice!

Poetry News:

1. In an age when writing that isn’t downright naive tends to have been plunged in the acid bath of irony… —
2. Can visual poetry appeal to connoisseurs of art as well as the masses and thereby create a market for itself? —
3. Vietnam recognises jailed poets —
4. Poets & Writers Magazine selected Blue-Tail Fly as one of 12 notable first books published in 2006 —
5. A new reason for rhyming —
6. How to Read a Poem: Part Five Ambiguity —

PDF of Adam Mickiewicz’s poetry translated from Polish by Leonard Kress.

Poetry News:

1. Cold Mountain Review releases fall issue —
2. The Poetry Foundation is smarting over “The Moneyed Muse,” a 6,000-word profile by Dana Goodyear —
3. Three People Reportedly Jailed for Organizing Literary Event —
4. Modigliani’s languid Anna Akhmatova —
5. Write Porn, Forge Art, Buy $1,200 Wine: Money Tips From Authors —
6. A sign of spring: baseball haikus —

IBM veteran becomes first woman to win the Turing Award

Poetry News:

1. Asahi Haikuist Network —
2. 45 Writers from 22 Countries Receive Hellman/Hammett Grants —
3. The Poets.org Poetcast: a retrospective on the life and work of Muriel Rukeyser, including historical recordings and reflections from her former student, Sharon Olds [link goes to MP3 file & it is not safe for work] —
4. ‘Othello’ off the British teaching list —
5. the songwriting genius who created many of Duke Ellington’s masterpieces, Billy Strayhorn is the subject of a new documentary —
6. translation is as important to the health and strength of a literature as new blood is to a gene-pool —

Got my contributor’s copies of Harpur Palate.

The Wonder Spot is going to be bulldozed. Sad. I never visited but I have been to The Mystery Hill a couple times. Coincidently, The Mystery Hill & The Mystery Spot both suffer from the same alarming transgressions of Newtonian physics! I know!! Weird!!!!11

Poetry News:

1. Dryden sets up a cast of symbolic figures to express the folly and wrongdoing of an old year and the hopes of a new —
2. Poetry is hard work, and it should be, says professor —
3. Lexington poet clearly earns spot at front of pack —
4. Poetry is thought to be an elite art, and it has been called the one art most likely “to make people feel stupid” —
5. A pleasant history of chapbooks [link via Rob thank you] —
6. In China, satirical poem leads to jail time —

Shakespeare in Washington

Can someone explain to me why this is not considered a poorly-written poem? I’m not being a snark or whatever. I’m genuinely curious because I’m just not seeing why Mr. Pinsky chose it for publication. Thanks.