Taha Muhammad Ali, 1931-2011 October 4, 2011: Renowned Palestinian poet Taha Muhammad Ali died on Sunday at the age of 80, reports Ma'an News Agency. Ali's poems "followed the experiences of Palestinians living in Israel, and Palestinian refugees around the world. They were translated into several languages, including English and Hebrew. Muhammad Ali grew in international acclaim after an [...] by Harriet Staff

Emanuel Litvinoff, 1915-2011 September 30, 2011: The Guardian and The Telegraph both report that poet and novelist Emanuel Litvinoff passed away on September 24. Litvinoff, born in 1915 in Whitechapel, East London, might be best remembered for a "devastating public attack" on TS Eliot. The Telegraph describes the moment: During the 1920s, at a time of high literary anti-Semitism, [...] by Corina Copp

Founder of Project Gutenberg dies at 64 September 8, 2011: Michael S. Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg and early proponent of the e-book, died at his home in Champaign-Urbana earlier this week: Hart was best known for his 1971 invention of electronic books, or eBooks. He founded Project Gutenberg, which is recognized as one of the earliest and longest-lasting online literary projects. He often told [...] by Harriet Staff

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

Scott Wannberg, Fixture of Los Angeles Poetry Scene, Passes Away August 22, 2011: Jacket Copy reports that Los Angeles poet Scott Wannberg, called by a friend the "the John Lennon of small press poetry," has passed away at the age of 58 at his home in Oregon. An anchor of the poetry scene in Los Angeles in the eighties and nineties, Wannberg endured health problems for some time; and moved to Oregon in 2008, unable to keep up [...] by Harriet Staff

R.I.P. Roy McBride, “People’s Poet” August 3, 2011: According to this article in The Star Tribune, Twin Cities poet Roy McBride passed away on July 29th. He was 67. From the article: "He touched so many people," said friend Jeannie Piekos of Minneapolis. "It's not just poets or people from Powderhorn; he worked with people that were academics or taxi drivers who liked poetry." McBride [...] by Harriet Staff

Fran Landesman, “Poet Laureate Of Lovers And Losers,” Passes Away August 3, 2011: According to an article from the Riverfront Times blog, Fran Landesman, "the jazz world's answer to Dorothy Parker," has passed away at 83. Her long list of literary and musical endeavors is quite impressive, running the gamut from writing the world's first and only Beatnik musical (The Nervous Set) to having Ella Fitzgerald do a version of her [...] by Harriet Staff

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

Edwin Honig (1919-2011) June 6, 2011: Poet, translator, and professor Edwin Honig passed away on May 25 at the age of 91, after a battle with Alzheimer's, as The New York Times writes. Honig was emeritus professor of english and comparative literature at Brown, having taught there for a quarter century before retiring in 1982. NYT notes Honig's translation work with Fernando [...] by Harriet Staff

Famed Miami Area Poet Will Bell Murdered May 31, 2011: Poet and spoken word artist Will "Da Real One" Bell was shot to death early Sunday morning outside the The Literary Cafe, a place he owned and had grown as a performer and promoter of young writers for years. Bell, whose performances are documented on HBO's Def Poetry Jam among others, was 47. The following, from The Miami Herald gives details of [...] by Harriet Staff