It’s Easter? Cue the strings, pass the Kleenex and fetch my pen. April 24, 2011: I'm an insanely musical person, with an astounding memory for songs no one in their right mind should retain. Yep, I've got a clutch on the standards, from Gene Pitney to Wilson Pickett, Bobby Taylor & the Vancouvers to Badfinger, "Strange, I Know" to "Muskrat Love." I don't only recognize both Top 40 smashes and dusty obscure little ditties, [...] by Patricia Smith

Mary Karr lunches with Studs Terkel March 29, 2011: Mary Karr reads on Tuesday, April 5 at the Art Institute of Chicago's Rubloff Auditorium. She took a few minutes to talk about what she's reading, what she's read, and who she'd quote: What line or poem do you find yourself sharing again and again? Too many to count. My message to young writers always comes from Beckett: "Fail [...] by Poetry Foundation

In which Edwin Torres welcomes the end of Facebook February 22, 2011: This Thursday, February 24, the poet Edwin Torres will read in an event co-sponsored by the Poetry Foundation, Poetry magazine, the Columbia College English department, and the college's Center for Book & Paper Arts. A reception immediately follows the reading. Here, Torres talks briefly about a few figures—Velemir Khlebnikov, David Bowie, and [...] by Poetry Foundation

The Animated “Ursonate” November 15, 2010: On Harriet back in 2007, Kenneth Goldsmith called Kurt Schwitters' "Ursonate" "the greatest sound poem of the 20th century" and posted nine audio versions by sound artists. Turns out "Ursonate" has been inspiring animators and new media artists as well. Here are eight text-based visual interpretations ranging from Golan Levin and Jaap Blonk's [...] by Poetry News

Introducing Paul Martínez Pompa @harriet_twitter November 1, 2010: For the month of November, Harriet is proud to host Paul Martínez Pompa on the @harriet_poetry Twitter feed. Paul joins the growing list of Harriet Twitterati—D.A. Powell, Heather Christle, Kiki Petrosino, and Michael Earl Craig—some of whom have gone on to make the form their own (looking at you, @powell_DA!). More about Paul: Paul [...] by Poetry Foundation

Michael Earl Craig @harriet_poetry September 2, 2010: Attention! Poet Michael Earl Craig has taken over the Harriet Twitter feed this month.  Interested parties can follow him @harriet_poetry.  Here's his first post: "Hello people, I'm cracking my twitter knuckles, feeling like astronaut... like hockey goalie with mouth guard loose, must fix mouth guard..." And here's a video of him at [...] by Poetry Foundation

What’s New at Harriet May 3, 2010: First of all, we’d like to say a big thank you to everyone who made National Poetry Month on Harriet such a great experience.  We had some of the most lively and engaging discussions over the past thirty one days, as well as profound stand-alone pieces.  True, it was a lot to take in over a quick month, but we’re confident the posts will [...] by Poetry Foundation

departing thoughts April 30, 2010: The last time I blogged for Harriet, it was a more intimate affair. It was the summer of 2008, and there were six of us (I think). Current bloggers Linh Dinh and Mark Nowak were in that batch, although I think Linh was blogging for more than just the summer. This time around has felt more frenetic. Maybe that’s just my own life, or maybe it’s [...] by Alan Gilbert

Conceptual Writing [verb, repeat] and Silence April 29, 2010: I think I’m finally beginning to understand Conceptual Writing thanks to Kenneth Goldsmith, who, in his consecutive posts on 4.27 and 4.28, drives home his point by employing the sentence “Conceptual writing [verb]” something like twenty-five times. As conceptual writing’s (oops, sorry, Conceptual Writing’s) spokesperson, Goldsmith uses [...] by Mark Nowak

Halomadworldlangstonhughes April 27, 2010: After reviewing the audio I recorded wandering the book fair and bars of AWP, I concluded that nothing turned up worth mixing and posting. The best piece I heard was a desperate conversation between two fiction writers smoking outside a bar, discussing how “badass” Yaddo is/was. One had been there several times; the other was fishing for [...] by Nick Twemlow