Oxford’s Poetry Circus June 14, 2010: Quoth the New York Times: World Cup, shmorld cup — if you’re not following the heated election for the professor of poetry at Oxford University, you’re missing out on some intense and cutthroat competition . . . by Poetry News

“When Pat Lowther was murdered by her husband, Canada lost a powerful literary voice” June 14, 2010: The Globe and Mail has the tragic story of poet Pat Lowther: Pat Lowther never showed up. That night, her husband bludgeoned her with a hammer and dumped her body into Furry Creek. Her demise is summarized in one sentence in Christine Wiesenthal's introduction to The Collected Works of Pat Lowther: “The abrupt end of Pat Lowther's [...] by Poetry News

“Sina Queyras is a poet to read and reckon with” June 12, 2010: Lambda Literary has high praise for Sina Queyras: Lemon Hound is a tour de force; it meditates in particular on the work of Virginia Woolf and Gertrude Stein through playful and soulful responses to the work of both writers. Lemon Hound is both lyrical and political, feminist and literary, lesbian and human; it is to me one of the best books of [...] by Harriet Staff

What makes American poetry American? June 11, 2010: Cate Marvin (among others) answers the question for the Poetry Society of America: American poetry has been going gangbusters since the turn of the nineteenth century. Twentieth century American poetry is so volatile, so varied, so wise in how it works off of un-American traditions that I sometimes just have to suck my breath in and take [...] by Harriet Staff

John Asbhery and Paul Muldooon rock Hell’s Kitchen June 11, 2010: The New York Observer offers up a live review of a reading by Muldoon and Ashbery--and finds the setting apt for the latter: He propped his elbow on the arm of the chair, rested his head on his hand, and sighed deeply through his writing—as if the writer and his poems were in a fight and not speaking to one another. It was the kind of [...] by Poetry News

Is there a masculine style in poetry? June 11, 2010: Brian Spears wonders about all things manly and poetic on his blog: I remain convinced that the strongest, most innovative poetry out there today is being written mostly by women, and I promise you, they’re not adopting a masculine style in order to be accepted . . . by Harriet Staff

Dorothea Lasky debunks the starving artist myth June 11, 2010: In an interview with The L Magazine, poet Dorothea Lasky breaks it down for the people: Have you ever been a Starving Artist, and did it make you brilliant, or just hungry? I think I might still be some sort of starving artist. I think not being wealthy has made me the opposite of brilliant, because I am always worrying about money. I hate [...] by Harriet Staff

A poem from Salem, Oregon to the BP Oil Spill June 11, 2010: Luke Easter, a writer for Salem News, has penned an anti-ode to BP: The lack of containment places wildlife in serious jeopardy, and an endless series of lies are an attempt to offer lame excuses by oil conglomerate BP. That is what this poem is about. There are many aspects of this story to be examined and taken apart. There is the [...] by Poetry News

Dana Gioa digs new Natalie Merchant album June 11, 2010: Merchant's new album of poetry set to music has the former NEA chief singing the praises: "There have been pop musicians in the past—Joni Mitchell and Loreena McKennitt, for example—who have set poems to music, but no one has ever done anything of this scale or range. What Natalie has done is to create art songs, in the old sense of taking [...] by Poetry News

Emily Dickinson’s fashion sense June 10, 2010: At the Times, Kirstie Blair marvels at the meaning of Emily Dickinson's white dress: Dickinson’s preference for white retains considerable mythic resonance, interpreted as a symbol of the poet’s reclusiveness . . . by Poetry News