Tag: poetry

National Poetry Month: April 3rd

April 3, 2011

River by John Ashbery

It thinks itself too good for
These generalizations and is
Moved on by them.  The opposite side
Is plunged in shade, this one
In self-esteem.  But the center
Keeps collapsing and re-forming.
The couple at a picnic table (but
It’s too early in the season for picnics)
Are traipsed across by the river’s
Unknowing knowledge of its workings
To avoid possible boredom and the stain
Of too much intuition the whole scene
Is walled behind glass.  “Too early,”
She says, “in the season.”  A hawk drifts by.
“Send everybody back to the city.”

This poem was selected by Russell J. (Reader’s Services)

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National Poetry Month: April 2nd

April 2, 2011

raccoon prayer by Lucille Clifton

oh Master Of All Who Take And Wash
And Eat    lift me away at the end into evening
forever    into sanctified crumples of paper
and peelings curled over my hand
i have scavenged as i must
among the hairless
now welcome this bandit into the kingdom
just as you made him
barefoot and faithful and clean
 
This poem was selected by Mary H. (Reader’s Services)

April is National Poetry Month

Hey all you poetry lovers and likers, happy days are here again!  National Poetry Month has finally arrived, and in response to overwhelming popular demand, we’re bringing back our Poem-a-Day feature to properly mark the occasion.  That’s right, we’re having a poetry party right here on Off the Shelf where each and everyday of April you can drop by to enjoy a fresh, new poem selected by our EPL staff.  So, come join the fun, share a few of your own favorite poems, and look no further than Off the Shelf for your April poetry fix.

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Another Fantastic Site!

February 16, 2011

The British Council, an international organization whose motto is “Learn, share, connect worldwide,” promotes the exchange of knowledge and ideas between people around the world. One of its many resources is Contemporary Writers, a database of UK, Commonwealth, and Republic of Ireland writers to which it adds new names each month. A page comprising a biography, a list of the writer’s works, the genres in which the s/he writes, a bibliography, awards garnered, and a critical perspective on the work, is devoted to each author. This is a wonderful resource for students of literature, and for those who want to enhance their reading choices. And it’s just plain fun to browse.

Mary B., Reader’s Services

Extra! Extra! Read All About It!

January 27, 2011

The Case of the First Mystery Novelist

The NY Times solves the mystery of who wrote the first detective novel.  Published in 1865, The Notting Hill Mystery received rave reviews from Victorian critics as it pioneered the popular new mystery genre. Until now, however, the author’s identity has never been known.

The Best Poetry of 2010

NPR’s picks for the top poetry volumes of last year are listed along with excerpts from each work.  In a banner year for poetry, the annotated list includes Terrence Hayes’ National Book Award-winning Lighthead (pictured right) as well as new volumes by Charles Simic and Kathleen Graber. 

You’ve Been Verbed 

The recent grammatical phenomenon of turning nouns into verbs is explored at length by The Economist.  Whether we’re friending, Googling, snowboarding, or texting, “verbing” is changing our language at hyperspeed.  Ben Franklin would not be pleased.

Barack in Bronzeville

Author Rebecca Janowitz presents a compelling argument for locating the future Obama Presidential Library in Chicago’s Bronzeville neighborhood.  Though Hawaii is already making it’s pitch, a Bronzeville site offers tremendous possibilities.      

Goodbye, National Poetry Month!

April 30, 2010

Has it been a month already?? Check your calendar, poetry fiends, it seems that it has. April is over, May flowers (and their attendant pilgrims) are on the way, and National Poetry Month is history for another year. We hope that you’ve enjoyed it as much as we have, and that you’ll continue to read, write, explore and seek out new poems and poets all the other months of the year. Because as great as National Poetry Month is, reading poetry every month is better still. It doesn’t take long, cleanses your harried mind, gives you something to ponder the next time you’re bored or frustrated (hello, dentist chair; greetings, traffic snarl), and adds a tiny dash of the world’s wide and varied beauty into your life. And with that in mind, we offer up one final slice of poetic sublimity (and one of my personal favorites) for your enjoyment. Happy April, May, and beyond.

Fragmentary Blue by Robert Frost

Why make so much of fragmentary blue
In here and there a bird, or butterfly,
Or flower, or wearing-stone, or open eye,
When heaven presents in sheets the solid hue?

Since earth is earth, perhaps, not heaven (as yet)–
Though some savants make earth include the sky;
And blue so far above us comes so high,
It only gives our wish for blue a whet.

This poem was selected by Andy R. (Reader’s Services)

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