Samuel Menashe, 1925-2011. August 23, 2011: We are sad to learn that Poetry contributor and recipient of the Poetry Foundation's Neglected Masters Award, Samuel Menashe, died peacefully in his sleep on the night of August 22, 2011.  Sam was a longtime friend to so many of us, who will miss the phone calls, faxes, and handwritten letters though which he liked to share his latest [...] by Don Share

A Valediction Forbidding Mourning July 26, 2011: How can we be forbidden to mourn?  The notion seems shocking, yet it is espoused in John Donne's great poem, "A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning." It might take some acquaintance with Christian theology, the science of alchemy, Donne's penetrating use of conceits and metaphors, and much else besides to explain this mystery, but one is [...] by Don Share

Twombly. Poetry. The Crisis of the Line. July 6, 2011: The painter Cy Twombly, who died recently, meant a great deal to poets - and it's no wonder.  As The New York Times put it: Mr. Twombly, a tall, rangy Virginian who once practiced drawing in the dark to make his lines less purposeful, steadfastly followed his own program and looked to his own muses — often literary ones, like Catullus, Rumi, [...] by Don Share

I Think That I Shall Never See June 13, 2011: As most literate folks know by now, Leonard Stern, co-creator of Mad Libs, has died. For many of us, Mad Libs was a first introduction to the considerable pleasures of wordplay. The most apt obituary I've come across is one with a Mad Lib lead-off at the Washington Post. Well, I thought I'd honor Stern's memory with the above poetry Mad [...] by Don Share

A Show & Tell w/Art Chantry May 18, 2011: Poetry magazine's May 2011 cover artist Art Chantry is most known for his poster art, but this month Poetry and Harriet readers get something more. We have Chantry's cover homage, “A Portrait of Video Art Pioneer and Fluxus Member Nam June Paik,” for one. And after e-mailing with Chantry about the piece and his recent writing, he turned [...] by Fred Sasaki

First a parrot… now an iguana? May 13, 2011: In my last post, I mentioned Carolyn Forché's parrot. This time, as you can see, I'm featuring another poet/pet combination.  Here's Ruth Lilly Prize winner and Poetry contributor David Ferry, having an intense tête-à-tête with an iguana. The photo was taken by the poet's son; David says: "I think Stephen sees that my characteristic [...] by Don Share

Carolyn Forché’s parrot… and other news from the magazine May 3, 2011: I let the Chicago Reader (happy 40th birthday, CR!) scoop us on this, but check out our appearance in, of all things, a bona fide gossip column: What Was Arcade Fire's Will Butler Really Doing at Poetry Magazine? My lips are sealed - except to say that when Will Butler appeared in the doorway of my office with his friend and former teacher, [...] by Don Share

The Rejection Slip April 25, 2011: If the subscription list of this magazine approximated the yearly inflow of manuscripts - the editors would hire a long string of assistants, have cut flowers replenished daily on their desks, and be less harassed generally.  Even then, however, the impossibility of answering personally each letter that reaches the office would be equally [...] by Don Share

Poem as Comic Strip Redux April 21, 2011: A few years ago this site published a short-run feature called "Poem as Comic Strip," for which some of today’s most vital graphic novelists were invited to interpret a poem of their choice from the Foundation’s archive. Ed Park, the series editor, wrote: Heightened language—one possible or partial definition of poetry—isn’t the [...] by Fred Sasaki

Poetic Fashion and Unfashion: On Literary Outliers April 18, 2011: I recently participated, along with Annie Finch, Cate Marvin, and Kristen Prevallet, in a panel at Harvard called, "Poetic Fashion and Unfashion: On Literary Outliers."  The idea, which Woodberry Poetry Room Curator Christina Davis came up with, was to have us discuss "outlier poets whose work presents a counterpoint to our current literary [...] by Don Share