“The aspiration to mastery leaves room for a lot of anxiety. Many readers hear a kind of hysteria in the poem, with its rhythm revving up as it ruminates … … Read more
Each year, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and the Alliance for Young Artists and Writers select five of the best and brightest high school poets in the country to serve as youth poetry ambassadors. Poetry In America has been proud to feature the distinguished members of this prestigious program as guest interpreters in our previous seasons. (You can see the National Student Poets of 2016 and 2018 in our “Carl Sandburg - Skyscraper” and “Walt Whitman - Leaves of Grass” episodes.) … Read more
This summer, Poetry in America teamed up with the Boys and Girls Clubs of America and Wide Open School to offer the Whatever It Takes to Speak Your Mind Challenge. The challenge … … Read more
Poetry is evocative, ethereal, emotional, transportive, but right now, poetry for me is a traffic jam on Florida's Route 1. … Read more
Read below to hear from our Communications Intern Gideon Leek, a senior at Oberlin College. Gideon, an English and Politics major, has been the voice behind many of Poetry … … Read more
Poetry in America is coming to DVD! Featuring every episode of season 2, explore and debate 8 classic and contemporary American poems with a wide variety of guests, and rich archival materials. … Read more
On July 10, 2020, Poetry in America was featured in The Paris Review's weekly round-up of staff picks. Alongside the work of novelists Marie NDiaye and Halle Butler, essayist Moyra Davey, and jazz label Pi Recordings, The Paris Review staff spotlights Poetry in America's season 2 episode on Yusef Komunyakaa's poem "You and I Are Disappearing." … Read more
On June 12th, 2020, Forbes wrote about Poetry in America Live event hosted by the Sheen Center, a continuation of the Finishing the Hat episode, and showcased the series more generally. The article highlights the work of the Sheen Center, the accomplishments of the live event’s guests (singer & actor Melissa Errico, musical director Tedd Firth, and writer Adam Gopnik), the vitality of the series, and the specific contents of the live event. … Read more
On June 12th, 2020, the Sheen Center presented Poetry in America Live "Finishing the Hat" as part of the celebration of Sondheim's 90th. The most recent event in an ongoing series, this live event involved performance and discussion of lyrics from "Sunday in the Park with George."
The event featured several guests from the Season 2 episode on the song but was by no means a rehash of well-worn terrain. The live format both expanding the time available for discussion and narrowed in the conversation to fewer guests, creating a discrete and complementary experience. … Read more
