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Keeping The Dark At Bay: A 2020 Poetry Preview

February 13, 2020 • Poet and critic Craig Morgan Teicher presents his annual roundup of the poetry he's looking forward to. This year, he's showcasing a group of poets who he says are holding the darkness at bay.

In 'An American Sunrise,' Joy Harjo Speaks With A Timeless Compassion

U.S Poet Laureate Joy Harjo. J. Vespa/WireImage hide caption

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J. Vespa/WireImage

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In 'An American Sunrise,' Joy Harjo Speaks With A Timeless Compassion

August 14, 2019 • The poet laureate's collection tells a tale of a fierce and ongoing fight for sovereignty, integrity, and basic humanity. It's a plea that Americans take responsibility for what's done in our names.

In 'What You Have Heard Is True,' A Poet Bears Witness To Devastating Civil War

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Penguin Press

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In 'What You Have Heard Is True,' A Poet Bears Witness To Devastating Civil War

April 5, 2019 • Though it took poet Carolyn Forché half a lifetime to fully share in a memoir what she saw during her time in El Salvador in the 1970s and the lessons learned, now is precisely when we need to see it.

Lawrence Ferlinghetti's Wit Is Afire In 'Little Boy'

Petra Mayer/NPR

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Lawrence Ferlinghetti's Wit Is Afire In 'Little Boy'

March 23, 2019 • As he approaches his 100th birthday, the legendary Beat poet and publisher has a new book. Billed as his "literary last will and testament," Little Boy is part memoir, part rambling free-association.

In 'Kill Class,' A Poet Aims To Map The Distance Between Perspectives

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In 'Kill Class,' A Poet Aims To Map The Distance Between Perspectives

February 4, 2019 • At her best, Nomi Stone is able to make an anthropological excavation into something beautiful and haunting, laced with double meanings. But at times she stands in her own way, obscuring our view.

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"I Reject Walls": A 2019 Poetry Preview

January 21, 2019 • This year, says critic Craig Morgan Teicher, America's poets are stepping up and expressing their faith in the capacity of words to overcome barriers, find compromise, and speak truth.

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The Personal Is Always Political: A 2018 Poetry Preview

January 28, 2018 • Many of the books of poems coming out this year are sad, but also powerful; full of poets processing their lives, looking into pains both personal and political through the cracked glass of poetry.

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Poetry To Pay Attention To: A Preview Of 2017's Best Verse

February 8, 2017 • 2017 is turning out to be a year of big change. Critic Craig Teicher highlights some of the poetry that can help guide readers through it.

Sink Or Swim: Poems On The Existential Terror Of Everyday Life

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Sink Or Swim: Poems On The Existential Terror Of Everyday Life

March 18, 2016 • John Koethe explores the minutia of daily life and the disillusionment that comes with age in his tenth volume of poetry, The Swimmer.

'Elegant And Cruel And True': The Life And Death Of Poet C.D. Wright

The American South informed much of C.D. Wright's poetry. Courtesy of Copper Canyon Press hide caption

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Courtesy of Copper Canyon Press

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'Elegant And Cruel And True': The Life And Death Of Poet C.D. Wright

January 14, 2016 • C.D. Wright was beloved not only for her poetry, but for her personality. Critic Craig Morgan Teicher has this remembrance of a writer who loomed large in his imagination and in his life.

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In A Dark Time, The Eye Begins to See: A 2016 Poetry Preview

January 3, 2016 • 2016 brings with it an exciting crop of poetry books. Here are our picks for the best verse of the new year.

Eileen Myles Offers A Double Shot Of Punk Rock Poetry

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Eileen Myles Offers A Double Shot Of Punk Rock Poetry

October 25, 2015 • The veteran poet's beloved 1994 novel Chelsea Girls has been reissued alongside a new collection, I Must Be Living Twice. Myles' poems chronicle a life of art and sex in gritty 1970s New York City.

From Mexico Kidnappings To Eric Garner, Hererra Writes Poetry Of The Moment

Courtesy of City Lights Publishers

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From Mexico Kidnappings To Eric Garner, Hererra Writes Poetry Of The Moment

September 16, 2015 • Poet Laureate Juan Felipe Herrera's new book of poems melds the political with the personal. Critic Craig Morgan Teicher says it makes for deep yet accessible reading.

'Latest Readings' Offers Buoyant Musings On A Lifetime Of Literature

Courtesy of Yale University Press

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'Latest Readings' Offers Buoyant Musings On A Lifetime Of Literature

August 26, 2015 • Literary critic Clive James revisits the work of great writers such as Joseph Conrad, Ernest Hemingway, Shakespeare and others, subjecting each to the "finicky test of delight."

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After Death, James Tate's Poetry Continues To Delight

July 10, 2015 • Though James Tate died before his new book was published, his influence and appeal persist due to his surrealist style and willingness to blend tragedy and comedy.