Poetry Hut Blog

Poetry News:

1. — America’s Poet Laureate –who writes about the Niagara River –is a woman who is searching for balance between her very public role and her notoriously private life —
2. — How to write poetry: Poet Wendy Cope explains what makes a really superb poem —
3. — Elizabeth Bishop’s Great Village —
4. — “Click on the link below, left, to hear an extract of Bin Laden’s poetry recital” —
5. — Those Who Write, Teach —
6. — Joe Milford Hosts Evan Willner — The Jane Crown Show [MP3] —

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. — These are poems of stark strength and startling honesty, constantly revealing the shock of the reality of everyday existence, touched often by a quiet dry humor —
2. — With invention, irony, and uncanny instinct, three poets show off their mastery of the surreal —
3. — T.S. ELIOT v. PORTISHEAD —
4. — Stray Questions for: Mary Jo Salter —
5. — Sounds of final partings fill Schultz’s verse —
6. — Ernest Cipolone, 87, of Brooklawn, who has been writing poetry for 60 years, read his verses before an audience for the first time —
7. — If anyone these days is hanging onto a notion of consistent stylistic evolution as aesthetic merit, this volume will do its best to disorient them —
8. — Sylvia Plath Trivia - Answers! —
9. — Poetry roundup —

“Third Genders” in Societies with Rigid Gender Roles

The Guardian recently asked its arts critics to cover sports for a day — and vice versa. The results are quite winning!

I don’t think my RSS feeds are working properly since my upgrade to the latest version of Wordpress. Sorry. If you have problems, please email. Though if folks aren’t getting the RSS feed they won’t see this request haha.

Poetry News:

1. — Wendy Cope: ‘I don’t want to be laureate’ —
2. — What is a failed poet? —
3. — The idea for a skull and roses came from an illustration in “The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam,” a collection of poems by the Persian poet who died in 1123 —
4. — The trouble with neuroaesthetics —
5. — When Hemingway turned his hand to verse —
6. — In time for the Stanley Cup Finals, a Q&A with Randall Maggs, author of the first great book of hockey poetry —
7. — Poetry: Read It When You’re Drunk —

Most popular outgoing links for May, as far as Feedburner is concerned:
Readers Not Wanted: Student Writers Fight to Keep Their Work Off the Web

Regarding the Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize

If you didn’t browse the comments when I posted about M.F.A. programs last month, you really should: they veered quickly and entertainingly toward gang warfare, with the Crips arguing against such programs and the Bloods arguing for them.

Poetry News:

1. — Which, if any, will still be remembered by the 21st Century? —
2. — You like my poems? So pay for them —
3. — ‘Twas a Christmas Poem Whodunit —
4. — Salute to John Lennon —
5. — Eminent poets sometimes write poems to please children. Theodore Roethke (1908-1963) succeeded, with poems that are short, funny, well-rhymed and respectful of the reader’s intelligence —
6. — Webster U. to launch publishing unit —

I wasn’t aware that the US is having a “Toy Transformer Robots” crisis.

Well the President has officially established a dictatorship. Good one. At least someone in Congress is speaking out. The speech is about the Protect America Act but also shows how Bush has further consolidated his Executive powers. You can watch the videos part 1 and part 2 on youtube. Here is the ACLU on the Protect America Act and a WSJ article about Senator Whitehouse’s speech.

My Senator, Bob Corker, voted yes on the Protect America Act and my other Senator Lamar Alexander, did not vote at all.

My Representative, Marsha Blackburn, also voted yes on the Protect America Act.