Poetry On The Web

Poetry and spoken word are all around us. On a stage, in a bookstore, and even at a subway station. Here are a few articles that caught my eye this week.

11 Stereotypes About Poets

Huffington Post – In short, poets are misread. We’re like others in that we have hearts and lungs, money and then no money, and places to go. If you call with an invitation to us older poets on a landline, we will make every effort to come. Read more.

5 Steps to Slam Poetry

GalleyCat – Do you dream of writing slam poetry? In this three-minute TED-Ed lesson, slam poet and educator Gayle Danley shares “Five Steps to Slam Poetry,” illustrating how one writer crafts a slam poem. Read more.

20 Poets on the Meaning of Poetry

Flavorwire – We’ve been thinking about poet Meena Alexander’s incredible address to the Yale Political Union, in which she refers to Shelley’s 1821 essay, A Defence of Poetry. The English poet’s work famously stated, “Poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world.” Alexander concludes: “The poem is an invention that exists in spite of history… In a time of violence, the task of poetry is in some way to reconcile us to our world and to allow us a measure of tenderness and grace with which to exist…  Read more.

Berl’s Brooklyn Poetry Book Shop Brings Poetry and Community to New York

Publishers Weekly – A new bookstore is opening in New York City, in Brooklyn’s hip DUMBO neighborhood–and if that’s not remarkable enough news in itself, the store will focus almost exclusively on small press poetry books.  Read more.

What Happens When You Read Poetry on the L.A. Metro?

LA Weekly – At Union Station on the Gold Line platform this past Saturday, the commuters and sojourners of the Los Angeles weekend are greeted by the unfamiliar sound of…poets. A group of men and women — all ages and ethnicities — are reading lines in Spanish and English, blaring out their tropes into the air with the courage of warriors before battle. Read more.