Latest Poetry Articles

Apr 25

The Lifegiving Benefits of Befriending Our Mortality

A new poem for national poetry month

Sweet Community, As National Poetry Month nears its end, I thought it would be the perfect time to share a very new (and very long) poem I wrote about befriending my mortality and the countless ways that process has increased the joy in my life. If you’ve been subscribed to

Andrea Gibson ∙ 1255 LIKES

Kelsey

•

Oh. There aren't enough notebooks to contain the tally marks for the number of times the gift of your words have been my compass away from what I'm convinced every time is an inescapable loneliness. I can't wait to see you read in Denver, I bought myself a ticket the day after I came out at 37 as a gift to myself. I'll be the one sobbing in the front row.

Possible titles that come to mind after my fourth read:

I lost my wrinkle collection can I borrow yours?

One Size Fits Awe

Katie Morrison

•

Brevity

Name it Brevity.

Thank you for sharing this. My life is so full of love and wonder yet I turn the shoulder to the days, as you say, looking for tomorrow.

I need to be here today. Tomorrow is never promised.

🩷

The Liminality Journal

Apr 28

announcing this year's poetry theme!

words are hope

Friends, If you’re new here, you might not know that every year we have something at The Liminality Journal called a poem a day in the month of may. It’s almost May, everyone, and I am so ready to lean into a practice of poetry writing with you! It’s one of my favorite things. Each day throughout the month of May, I’ll sen…

Kaitlin Curtice ∙ 69 LIKES

Kathryn A. LeRoy

•

Hope is a sacred word. A word that reminds me of endless possibility. Thanks for the inspiring theme.

Karri Temple Brackett

•

So excited!!!

The Colour | Newsletter | Lab | Community

Apr 27

Make Money with Poetry

In which I make ink for an International Poetry Prize

I try to apply colors like words that shape poems, like notes that shape music. —Joan Miro

Toronto Ink Company ∙ 37 LIKES

Lisa de Nikolits

•

I’m so curious why the crushed pink carnations wasn’t allowed. I agree - the stories it held!

I’m a constant, enthusiastic and consistently failed poet.

I’m also concerned about money. I also realized last year, what with the relentless march of the AI (among other factors), that I just couldn’t hack being a graphic designer/art director in the corporate world any more. I just don’t have the stomach for it.

So I got a grant and now I’m six months into becoming a PSW. Last week was my first stint in the LTC home and I’m already in love with all my residents and I just want to look after them forever.

This course is insane though - the sheer volume of materials - and I’m not used to studying and I’ll be so relieved if I can pass the exam in July and have my life back.

My idea was to do something more meaningful while hoping that the tide of the small book presses will turn so I can carry on writing my oddball books (self publishing isn’t an option I want to explore - I’m not judgy, it’s just not my thing).

Finding a new publisher may be a futile dream and my authorly life may well die along with my once having been a magazine art director which was, for 24 years, the reason I got out of bed.

Anyway!! Sorry!! This is just to say (and no, it’s not about the plums), that we have to somehow forge on, forage on - and keep creating and writing.

And I ❤️ Poetry Forever.

Lyn Flitton

•

What a fantastic project! Exactly right for you.

Horace & friends

Apr 25

What is a poetry magazine for?

Or rather, for whom? A review of "The Poetry Review"

I was wondering this week why I almost never see reviews of literary magazines and poetry journals themselves. On the face of it, such reviews would be helpful, since magazines are the main venue in which poets publish new work for the first time, and there’s a bafflingly enormous number of them, both in print and (increasingly) online, each with their …

Victoria ∙ 27 LIKES

Nicholas Murray

•

This was a very fair and judicious review. I am far less tolerant and skim most of Poetry Review these days, finding it of little interest. A poet friend of mine says he subscribes to certain magazines in the spirit in which one buys a bunch of charity raffle tickets: to show willing. Part of the problem may be that there is such a high turnover in editors that slowly building a magazine’s character/personality doesn’t happen. That takes time. But behind this is a much bigger problem of the lack of consensus about what is good and bad in contemporary poetry. We don’t want uniformity or bossiness but some convincing sense of what might matter is the basis of any decent, intelligible criticism.

D.A. Nicholls

•

More of this. Thank you for taking it up.

ADPList’s Newsletter

Apr 23

Data-Informed Design

The data-design poetry department; dilemma & anthology how-to guide.

Hi, I’m Felix! Welcome to this week’s ADPList’s Newsletter; 🔒 subscriber-only edition 🔒 weekly advice column. I write high-quality insights on designing products people love and leadership in tech. If you’re interested in sponsoring us, let’s chat!

Felix Lee ∙ 28 LIKES

Beyond the Bookshelf

Apr 30

Terrified of poetry? Why yes, I am.

My experience with poetry and a review of Maya Popa's new collection

Welcome to Beyond the Bookshelf, a community of readers and writers sharing unique perspectives on life and literature through thought-provoking essays, captivating interviews, and influential books as we explore the challenges of life's transformative journey.

Matthew Long ∙ 64 LIKES

Maya C. Popa

•

I am floored by this beautiful, thoughtful, generous review and loved reading all of your personal reflections AND the useful historical context. Thank you, thank you. 🫶🏼

Kristine Neeley

•

I think one of the great beauties of poetry is that no matter what we believe about it (and ourselves in relation to it), it’s really only asking us to bear witness to it. For a long time, I forgot that poetry is less about what it meant to (or about) the author when it was written, than it is about what it brings up in and the meaning it takes on for the reader.

Thanks for sharing this review with us!

Incidental Comics

Apr 23

How to Make Poetry Comics

Six Exercises in Creating

To celebrate National Poetry Month and the publication of my book POETRY COMICS, I’m sharing this post from one year ago. If you’re inspired to use these exercises in your creative practice or in the classroom, please share them and tag me on social media @grantdraws—or tag

Grant Snider ∙ 169 LIKES

Binu Sivan

•

Apr 23

I have never tried sketching my poems! I think I may be able to do it for a poem of mine called Cats. I will do it and tag you :). Thanks for this lovely article. It's making my 51 year old brain excited to try something new.

Olivia Truong

•

Apr 23

Thank you for the guidance, i would love to share it for little kids

The Commonplace

Apr 26

5 Quick Things #328 ✍️

commonplace notebooks, distributism, men + poetry, & support your local bookshop

Hey there, I don’t know where you’re at while you’re reading this (mentally and emotionally, I mean), but if you’re a metaphysical neighbor of mine, you’re spent. My boys have two weeks left of classes and three weeks left of homeschooling with me (hello, Vietnam War, end of the Cold War, and 9/11 — so, low-key chill topics), Tate comes home from her fir…

Tsh Oxenreider ∙ 70 LIKES

Dixie Dillon Lane

•

So glad to see you highlighting Annelise's series! I get so frustrated with the constant calls to "reduce your stress" that come with absolutely zero bits of realistic advice for how to do that. This series is the opposite of that!!

I am with you on feeling spent...and also on longing for the opportunities of the summer ahead.

Teresa

•

Thank you so much for this!

It is wildly comforting to know that so many of us are just trying to sort through stress and find time to do all of the things (or to stop doing all the things).

I am always so appreciative of how things slow down in Lent and I focus on less and take in less... then Eastertide comes and I hit the ground running like one of those pull-back racer cars on overdrive!

Also... where is that incredible Tolstoy quote from?? I think that I need to read the entire piece.

God Bless you and your family,

Teresa

Shaw and Moore

Apr 29

Self Care for Writers of Tough Poetry!

You Do Not Have to Suffer (Much) For Your Art

by Clare ShawShaw and Moore is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. I think the title of this essay would make a good name for an album of fairly self-conscious folk-rock music by men with beards. But in actual fact, it just does what it says. Because the myth of the tortur…

Clare ∙ 9 LIKES

Bethan Rees

•

I love this. You are true ambassador for therapeutic writing!

Ann Grant

•

This was a great blog and I loved your list. My list includes deep breathing practice, watching Ted Lasso, cuddling my dog Barbara, going for a walk and shadow boxing xxx

On Being and Timelessness

Apr 28

Passover Poetry Salon--Part II

Jenny Barber's gorgeous poems--a small selection

I remember when I first read Rigging the Wind by Jennifer Barber more than twenty years ago. I desperately wanted to talk about these poems of the Spanish Inquisition, conversos, prophecy, time, and quiet with someone; instead, I ended up reviewing the book for

Aviya Kushner ∙ 4 LIKES

The Isolation Journals with Suleika Jaouad

Apr 28

Prompt 293. On the Floor

& the poet Joy Sullivan on prayer

Hi friend, These last few weeks, I’ve been spending long days in my studio, pushing myself quite hard. Painting in large format has been wonderfully challenging but also exhausting. Each day I reach a point when my body feels leaden, when my mind is all “blankness and junk” (

Suleika Jaouad ∙ 229 LIKES

Nancy Shebeneck

•

To pray, no words are necessary.

Be still in the silence.

Listen. Breathe.

You will know.

Lisa Philip

•

A few years ago TIJ had a prompt asking us to compose a prayer. I just revisited what I wrote at the time. To sum up the prayer I composed I prayed for happiness, health and freedom for all. For the ability to give others the benefit of the doubt. The capability to hear both sides of a story without rushing to judgement. The willingness to be kind to others and to treat them as we would want to be treated ourselves. The ability to be patient and compassionate with those whose decisions we feel are harmful to them and the capability to be empathetic towards those who are not ready to change. Finally I asked for the willingness to forgive those who have wronged me even if they are not sorry so as not to experience the pain of holding a grudge. These are all things I pray for. And aspire to. Another part of prayer I find very important is taking the time to be grateful for what I have already even though I may be going through difficult times.

I recently returned from a trip to Italy with my husband. Italy is the land of churches. We visited countless churches and one beautiful synagogue. At every church my husband stopped to pray. Sometimes I too prayed alongside him, but I also took the opportunity to appreciate the beauty and age of these buildings.We saw several churches that were built as early as 386 CE. The fact that people were able to build these massive buildings with so few tools and that the buildings are still standing albeit with additions and repairs is awe inspiring. The depth of belief in God and the beauty of the artwork depicting those beliefs are indescribable.

I do not know exactly what prayer is and to whom I am praying, but for me it is important to try to take the time to be grateful for what I have, to wish the best for others and to appreciate that I am but a small speck in time and in the universe.

The Isolation Journals with Suleika Jaouad

Apr 21

Prompt 292. Letters from Max

& the playwright Sarah Ruhl on art that enlivens and endures

Hi friend, Recently I got a message from the wife of my late friend, the poet Max Ritvo. She was going through some old boxes and found a note he’d written to me after their wedding but had never sent. She wanted me to have it; she asked for my address. When I opened it and saw my nicknames scrolled across the top and read the buoyant jo…

Suleika Jaouad ∙ 257 LIKES

Dr. Joanie Tool

•

Apr 21

I honestly am awake at 4am and too ill to make proper use of this amazing prompt. But I could not let it go by without letting you know how your stunning tribute to Max has left me in tears of bittersweet joy. Because I have a friend like Max. And I have his letters. Ones that are either questions or answers to letters of mine (long-handed chicken & egg) since we wrote to each other every week all through undergrad, when we were in schools across the country from one another. We knew etiquette says you wait to receive your letter before writing back but sometimes we’d get so excited that our ‘return’ letters would cross in the mail and deciphering what had happened and what was yet to come became an Agatha Christie-level mystery of epic proportions. Those letters are now, decades later, in a clear waterproof tote in my attic. And just seeing his handwriting on the envelopes through the walls of that tote … it always brings all those beautiful memories of racing to the dorm mailbox to check for a letter, flooding back with sweetness and joy and tinge of sadness for a simpler time and one of the sweetest pleasures I’ve known … those loooooooooooong-handed letters of complete vulnerability with a most trusted and well loved best friend. Thank you so much for those specifically treasured emotions, long dormant. I’m truly sorry for your loss. Sending love.

~ Joanie

Terri Balog

•

Apr 21

Lying in bed, relishing the quiet, soft, white sky out of the window (we are expecting rain today), and reading today's prompt I immediately thought of the song Mr. Blue Sky by ELO. After my 30 year old daughter passed in 2022, I was grieving deeply. I took on a part time job as a nanny.of a sweet two-year old girl named Elizabella, Ellie for short. To lift my spirits, I would play that song over and over for us, while we were driving in the car. Ellie, bouncing in her car seat, would ask for the windows down and the sunroof opened so we could dance in our seats, point to the sky and address it's blueness with loud singing voices, lifting our spirits as we giggled and sang loudly. When the song ended, little Ellie would shout out "Again! Again!" in her sweet, high-pitched, two year old voice and I thought, grinning ear-to-ear, God has surely given me this song and this child to heal my heart. ♡

Gently, We Journey: with Liz Newman

Apr 15

🌸"National Poetry Month" Poetry Bundle Giveaway! 🌸

Hello, everybody! 👋🏼 In honor of April being National Poetry Month, I wanted to announce a poetry bundle giveaway.✨ I will be giving away three signed and personalized poetry bundles of both my grief poetry books “I Look to the Mourning Sky” and “I Look to the Gentle Rain"“ for you to keep or to give to a friend or loved one. 🤍

Liz Newman ∙ 9 LIKES

Jill Fletchall

•

Apr 16

Thank you for replying. Keep up the great work. You are helping a lot of people through your thoughtful and heart-filled poetry. You have helped me, my daughter and two sons. Thank you ❤️❤️

Mike Yochim

•

Apr 15

This is an awesome gift! The daily messages are very uplifting.

Tusiata Avia

Apr 30

This is not a Satire

This is our government on the arts

You read this article in Newsroom while you’re in the middle of a novel (Prophet Song by Paul Lynch, winner of 2023 Booker Prize) . The book is set in contemporary Ireland and borrows directly from real life events (both in Ireland and other countries, like Egypt and Syria) re silencing those who speak against the government.

Tusiata Avia ∙ 85 LIKES

Paparoa

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Brave and true. He is an ignorant wrecker let loose in a house he could never have built.

Mark McGuire

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Many who have posted comments on social media about Steve Braunias’s interview with Todd Stephenson desperately want to believe it is not real. When politics occupies the space where we expect to find comedy and satire, what does that say about our country, our culture, and our politics?

Poetry Unbound

Apr 28

Innocent in spelling …

… and filled with meaning

Dear friends: There are some words that I manage to misspell consistently. Apparently is one of them. (I just spelt it aparentley.) Scroich is another of the words, an Irish word that, among other things, translates as arrive. Mind you, the word isn’t

Pádraig Ó Tuama ∙ 139 LIKES

Phil

•

The English language is designed to be misspelled.

Lee Cooper

•

Thank you Padraig, once again you’ve left me with my head spinning. I’m with you completely on the left-right vs east-west thing. My wife has east, west, north and south hardwired into her. We buy a house and she talks about the west gardens. I say, gently at first, ‘is that the garden by the road?’ She really wants to add shelves to the north wall of the back room, ‘oh the wall looking out towards the garage’ I say. After five years in this house I’m well situated with the direction of the east rising sun and moon. We just bought a new one however and we’re starting all over again. I’ll try not to be so slow to catch on this time! Thankfully.

The Free Press

May 1

A Tale of Two Columbias

‘Half these kids don’t even know what they’re protesting for.’

Last night around 9 p.m., NYPD cops in riot gear descended on Columbia to, depending on your view of the matter, clear—or liberate?—Hamilton Hall, which had been occupied by protesters some 20 ho…

Suzy Weiss ∙ 56 LIKES

publius_x

•

If there were any serious journalists wishing to uncover some real truths about Columbia, Susi, Bari and the Free Press might want to ask around and find out who admitted activist spokesmoron Johannah King-Slutsky ("from the River, to the sea, please bring us some KFC!") to Columbia as a Doctoral student, which classes she "instructed," and who advises her Doctoral Dissertation.

They might also want to find out how Columbia Undergraduate Admissions Dean Jessica Marinaccio (a Harvard Alumna) has been allowed her to stay in place for years after admitting people like Khymani James, Emma Sulkowicz and their ilk over decades.

These individuals are as responsible for the rot as much as the newly installed President who is trying to un-Claudine herself this week.

Christopher Moss

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The protesters who did not leave when told to do so, and those that broke into university buildings, should be expelled. It's the only way to ensure decent behaviour in the future.

A Sigh of Relief: Talking About Justice & Accountability

Apr 29

Resigned.

Why Is The Left So In Love With The Politics of Refusal?

Last week the writer Roxanne Gay published a piece in the New York Times (gift link) headlined “The Age of the Open Letter Should End.” The essay, which I urge you to read in its entirety, zeroes in on something that I’ve been thinking about a lot lately: the way the Left has embraced Separation and Declaration as its d…

Dashka Slater ∙ 19 LIKES

Chris Rauber

•

Great essay. I think you’re a bit too tough on Israel—considering Oct. 7 and Iran’s missile barrage—but overall fair, reasonable and passionate for the good. I’m very concerned about what seem to be totalitarian tendencies on the Left. Isn’t it bad enough that the extreme right is heading in authoritarian directions?

kelly jensen

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It's moments like we're in now where I cannot stop thinking about horseshoe theory. Great, nuanced piece–I have found it interesting how many voices taking a stand by silencing themselves have also not spoken up about the unmitigated literary censorship happening across the country.

The Free Press

May 1

The NYPD Comes for Columbia’s Occupation. Plus. . .

Lionel Shriver on PEN’s cowardice. Trump on trial. Ben Kawaller among the Mormons. And much more in today’s Front Page.

Today from The Free Press: Ben Kawaller meets the Mormons, Lionel Shriver on PEN, and Trump on trial. But first, Suzy Weiss on the fracas at Columbia:

Oliver Wiseman ∙ 493 LIKES

Evans W

•

Gotta love it when one of the Columbia University janitors signs up one of these social justice warriors for a class in fucking around and finding out. That's pure gold.

Has anyone seen a more blatant example of chickenshit leadership & lack of courage than the presidents and administrators of these universities? It’s pathetic to witness the spineless, deer in the headlights paralysis from these people. They are terrified to take a position or make a move against harassment, vandalism, trespassing and violence by these groups and as a result, they now have wide spread destruction of their universities & zero credibility. Portland State will probably never recover and it wouldn't surprise me at all if the activist students and professors don't end up burning the campus to the ground.

Thankfully the country has places like the University of Florida where leadership stated that you are welcome to protest, but if you in any way threaten or hinder another student or law enforcement from free movement on campus, attempt to set up an encampment, or take over any facility, you'll be expelled from the school & prosecuted.

Like him or hate him, Ron DeSantis is not playing games with these students, progressive professors and administrators.

With a little luck, we might see some long overdue and much needed changes in leadership and faculty at our colleges.

Unsaint Finbar

•

I willl ask again: can we get a fair piece on the insanity of the current Trump trial? The gag orders are unConstitutional, and the case is an abysmal mess that would not have been brought by any prosecutor in the country, if they were not playing a political game.

If you can't bring yourselves to highlight the many positive aspects of Trump, can you at least dismantle in a responsible way some of the obvious lies? Much of our political divide would not exist if everyone were told the full truth all the time.

And it doesn't appear to me most Democrats understand that not only do most Republicans, with justice, view the 2020 election as stolen, but the reelection of Joe Biden as the death knell on our democracy. He has politicized for partisan prosecutions substantially all of our Federal agencies; or at a minimum, he is their horse, because he can be counted on to do nothing to disrupt the power over the media and elections they have acquired in recent years.

This means that violence is very likely, from ordinary people, from veterans, from people who feel they have no choice. I am not one of those people. I figure I will wind up in jail for in effect refusing to live with lies. But this is a serious time, that should be treated seriously. These are not trivial matters.

And there is really no GOOD excuse for not doing your best to tell the full truth on whatever topics you choose to touch.

Noted

Apr 29

Re-Noted: Kurt Cobain's Spiral Notebooks

"Don't read my diary...please read my diary. Look through my things and figure me out."

You wouldn’t know it from looking at me, but deep down inside, I’m still a punk-rock kid from the 90s. Spending time with Kurt Cobain’s (1967-1994) notebooks for this post put me back in touch with that teenage-self. The nihilism! The angst! The plaid!

Jillian Hess ∙ 151 LIKES

Brenna

•

Wow. I love the van rules. I did not know about his stomach issues!

Jenovia

•

Wow! I didn’t know he designed his own guitar. I always learn something new about the subjects of Noted and I LOVE that 🥹

The Poetry Edit

Apr 23

The Poetry Edit Newsletter is here!!

The inaugural newsletter covers who to tell about The Poetry Edit (A: everyone!) and the art of settling into a good poem

Firstly, a hearty welcome! Thank you for signing up to The Poetry Edit newsletter, and to those of you who submitted poems, I appreciate you taking a chance on a new publication, and I feel like I got to know some of you a little through the voices in your work.

The Poetry Edit ∙ 2 LIKES

Patti Smith

Apr 28

M Train and 100 lines

A poem for Roberto Bolano's birthday

Hecatomb -for Roberto Bolano You spoke of a spiritual hecatomb The sacrifice of one hundred oxen Offered to the Oracle The God of truth Poetry and music You spoke of a song The children’s crusade Death and the mountain Helicoidally sliced Now we the worthless

Patti Smith ∙ 340 LIKES

Robin Flicker

•

Dear Patti,

I have read your Hecatomb for Bolaño out loud six times now. What a gift, and especially because M Train and 2666 are among my favorite books. It’s so exciting experiencing you in dialogue with him through your Hecatomb. It’s complex and I’m now deep into tracing the filaments between the book and your Hecatomb. They’re rich and complex.

I did not count the lines because I’m not good at things like that. I’m hoping that someone in this community has already counted the lines and I’ll see in the comments what they are.

Thank you so much for sharing this and for bringing attention to Bolaño, who was such a genius. I can’t remember who, in reviewing 2666, observed that Bolaño used the very non-fiction vehicle of a forensic report to describe the imaginary and, in so doing, aimed to create a third space where the real and the make believe meet. I’m sorry I can’t recall who expressed that (or in what publication) because it rang absolutely true to me.

I am so grateful that we are still in The Coral Sea. It is where I am, by necessity, and it means so much to have everyone here for company.

Again, I want to express my gratitude for this space in which to take refuge and gain strength to face all that is happening.

With gratitude and this, from “2666,” brilliantly translated by Natasha Wimmer (who also translated “The Savage Detectives”):

“The truth is we never stop being children, terrible children covered in sores and knotty veins and tumors and age spots, but ultimately children, in other words we never stop clinging to life because we are life.”

As ever,

Robin

Gerard Malanga

•

Hi Patti, I was waiting in anticipation to hear you read the poem to Roberto. I will patiently wait for when that occasion will happen. Lots of love XXXGerard.

Big Salad

Apr 19

Big Salad Readers Share 22 Favorite Things, and We Are Very Into Them

Including a party icebreaker, the nicest way to pick someone up at the airport, a romantic TV show, and much more.

Hi! How’s your week going? We asked readers to reveal their favorite things and received 400 responses! Thanks so much for your recommendations — we were thrilled to get a glimpse into your beautiful lives. Here are 22 surprises and delights…

Joanna Goddard and Kaitlyn Teer ∙ 258 LIKES

Andrea Garvey

•

Apr 19

Would anyone else be into swimsuit recs?

Lee TP

•

Apr 19

I have that Kate Baer poem framed in my hallway--it was a post-separation gift for myself. Every time I walk past it I'm reminded of the big juicy life I'm creating for myself!

For Dear Life with Maggie Smith

Apr 15

The Good Stuff

National Poetry Month Edition

Hi, Friend. It’s been a challenging few months (you, too, or just me?), but I’ve kept up my habit of collecting good things, the way a magpie gathers shiny treasures. Even when I’m grieving or stressed, there’s so much worth paying attention to and celebrating. And I’m happy to share some of them with you.

Maggie Smith ∙ 126 LIKES

Mary Lynn Futers

•

Apr 15

Oh gosh: Ed Yong’s piece. Glorious! These words:

“These recent years have taught me that I’m less when I’m not actively looking after myself, that I have value to my world and my community beyond ceaseless production and that pursuits like birding that foster joy, wonder and connection to place are not sidebars to a fulfilled life but their essence.”

“It’s easy to think of birding as an escape from reality. Instead, I see it as immersion in the true reality. I don’t need to know who the main characters are on social media and what everyone is saying about them, when I can instead spend an hour trying to find a rare sparrow. It’s very clear to me which of those two activities is the more ridiculous. It’s not the one with the sparrow.”

Marianna Marlowe

•

Apr 15

What made me happy yesterday: finishing Negar Djavadi's amazing new novel Disoriental. So much in one book. It reads like a memoir, with the "I" narrator, and includes history, gender, sexuality, imperialism and colonialism, immigration and exile. The symphonic orchestration of themes, motifs, scenes, dialogue, images, etc. reminds me, in its own way, of You Could Make this Place Beautiful.

Human Stuff

Apr 28

Stay soft, I wrote

and four spiraling things

Human Stuff is a weekly-ish newsletter. Please feel free to share parts of this letter that connect with you, or send to someone you love. Thank you for reading, sharing, commenting, subscribing, for being here. It means something.

Lisa Olivera ∙ 304 LIKES

Kate sirkin

•

Such a beautiful piece... so timely... so right there... just loved your eavesdropping as I’m going to be 75 this year and always wondering if I’ll make new friends... I just loved this... made my day ❤️

Laci Hoyt

•

Your newsletter is indeed a source of joy for me. Thank you. And eavesdropping, according to my college writing professors, when used responsibly is just smart writer behavior. Thank you for being a reminder in my life that I am not alone.

The Common Reader

Apr 23

Robert Frost's accidental late start

a biographical fragment

Robert Frost only gets a passing mention in Second Act, so here’s a short account of the time when he finally started his poetry career, nearly halfway through his life. As ever, if you want to know more about late bloomers, you can pre-order Second Act

Henry Oliver ∙ 113 LIKES

Will Orr-Ewing

•

Thank you for explaining why early 20th C copies of my old school magazine are about 90% poetry - submitted by boys and masters!

Will you write on Edward Thomas? Please!

Gaye Ingram

•

Thank you for this review of Frost's real beginnings. It captures the spirit of that era, a time when poetry still was treasured for what it was and did. I'm headed to my library to pull down biography of Frost.

Top 25 Poetry Articles on Substack

Best Poetry Articles

The Lifegiving Benefits of Befriending Our Mortality

announcing this year's poetry theme!

Make Money with Poetry

What is a poetry magazine for?

Data-Informed Design

Terrified of poetry? Why yes, I am.

How to Make Poetry Comics

5 Quick Things #328 ✍️

Self Care for Writers of Tough Poetry!

Passover Poetry Salon--Part II

Prompt 293. On the Floor

Prompt 292. Letters from Max

🌸"National Poetry Month" Poetry Bundle Giveaway! 🌸

This is not a Satire

Innocent in spelling …

A Tale of Two Columbias

Resigned.

The NYPD Comes for Columbia’s Occupation. Plus. . .

Re-Noted: Kurt Cobain's Spiral Notebooks

The Poetry Edit Newsletter is here!!

M Train and 100 lines

Big Salad Readers Share 22 Favorite Things, and We Are Very Into Them

The Good Stuff

Stay soft, I wrote

Robert Frost's accidental late start

Related Poetry Substacks

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