poetry review essays

How To Write A Poetry Review

Poetry reviewing is a vital part of the poetry ecosystem. but many poetry fans never write (or even read) poetry criticism, so today we’re introducing you to the art form of the poetry review., in 2022, young poets network collaborated with the prestigious t. s. eliot prize to run a young critics scheme in which ten 18-25 year olds took part in a mentoring programme and created video reviews of the shortlisted books in the 2022 t. s. eliot prize., you can also discover fifteen top tips from fifteen leading critics here .

What is a poetry review?

A poetry review is a text that tells the reader about a poetry book or performance. It explores how well that work succeeded in what it was trying to do. In it, the reviewer offers their own thoughts and feelings about the work they’re reviewing. In the best reviews, those thoughts and feelings are backed up by proof in the work – quotations, references, examples. Unlike an academic essay, reviews are generally written for the general public.

Why do people read poetry reviews?

Sometimes, it’s to see if they’d like to read this poetry book/see this performance (etc.). Sometimes, it’s to hear someone else’s response to something they’ve already read/seen. Other times, people might want to know a bit more about a certain poet’s work or what they’re up to. Reviews can also make wider points about poetry, and so sometimes people read reviews just to read about poetry.

Why do people write poetry reviews?

Writing a poetry review is a chance to spend some quality time with a text/performance, and to really think about your response to it and why you feel that way. It’s a chance not only to learn about a poet’s work and why they’re doing what they’re doing, but also to learn about your own taste, prejudices and preferences. It’s also an opportunity to share your thoughts and have them taken seriously by other readers, and to enter into a wider conversation around poetry.

Where are poetry reviews published?

Of course we recommend you subscribe to The Poetry Review and other magazines – but if you can’t afford to, visit your local library. The National Poetry Library in London, Scottish Poetry Library and Manchester Poetry Library all have a great selection of magazines you can peruse for free. Many poetry magazines publish some of their reviews online too, such as The Poetry Review , Poetry London and Magma .

How do I write a poetry book review?

Everyone’s process is different. We’ve put together a few essential ‘do’s and ‘don’t’s below, and we’ve also asked some leading poetry critics for their thoughts and shared them here !

If you’re reviewing a performance, your preparation may be a little different, but the general advice below may still be helpful.

And finally, as with any art form: if you’re going to write a review, you should be reading reviews too. Take note of what you like and don’t like in other people’s work, and think about what you will carry forward into your own practice and what will you leave behind.

When preparing to write your review, do:

• Read the book carefully , at least twice if you can.
• Underline and take notes as you go!
• Research the poet and the book’s context, and read what else they’ve written. You might not end up writing about this in your review, but it will give you the confidence to say ‘X is a theme in their work’. You might also like to read interviews the poet has given and other people’s reviews of their previous work. And it’s important to fully understand the tradition the book is situated in and the references it’s making.

When writing the review, do:

• Use the word count to structure your review. If an editor asks you for 600 words, don’t send them 1,000! It’s good to think about this when you’re planning your review. You can’t fit much more than a summary and a judgement in 200 words. But in 1,000 words, you can really go into particular moments and themes, and include more quotations from the work. If you haven’t been given a word count, around 600-800 words is a standard amount.
• Include examples and quotations from the book, wherever possible. You can’t expect a reader to believe your argument if you don’t give them evidence! Letting them hear the poet’s own words is also arguably the best way for your reader to get a feel of the book.
• Remember your audience. Be clear, engaging and generous to your reader. What else can you assume they will have read/watched/seen, and what do you need to explain?
• Send your review on time! Editors keep tight schedules.

Some questions:

• Consider the themes (big ideas like migration, fatherhood or love) and motifs (if they keep writing about dogs, why?). Have they explored the themes enough, in your opinion? What would you have liked to see, if not?
• Consider the overall structure of the book. Is it divided up into sections, and why? Does that work? Why is it ordered in the way it is? Is it chronological, or does it mark some kind of progression (or regression)? Does it feel well paced?
• If you have enough space to do so in your review, consider the construction of individual poems . Do they keep using the same device or form over and over? Does that work? Are they using gaps and spacing in an interesting way? How does that tie into the poet’s themes and aims?
• Question your own prejudices and assumptions . Are you making any grand statements? Make sure you’re backing them up with proof from the text.
• Go way over or under the word count. The editor has given you that number for a reason, and may simply not publish your review if you ignore it.
• Send off your first draft without editing it! This should go without saying. Leave it for a few days, then come back to it with fresh eyes.
• Negatively review a book for the sake of it! You wouldn’t like someone else to do that to your book, so don’t do it to someone else’s.
• Get personal. If you want to talk about something other than the text, such as the poet’s biography, think carefully about whether you’re making any assumptions.
• Review books of people who you have a close personal relationship with . The poetry world is small, so this can be hard and there are no clear-cut lines here. But you don’t want to feel forced to review something positively just because it’s your friend – and equally, you don’t want to hurt your relationship with them over a poetry review!
• Be afraid to be critical . As long as you’re reviewing the work fairly, on its own terms, and backing up what you’re saying with evidence from the text, poets are generally happy to have anyone engaging deeply with their work, and will be grateful for your close attention.

Our top tip for reviewing poetry

The most important piece of advice is of all to read and review the work on its own terms . If you’re reviewing a book of sonnets and you personally aren’t a fan of the form, try and put your own taste to one side and think: why has the poet chosen to write in this form? Have they been successful in what they were setting out to do? Where has your taste come from, and is there a valid critical reason behind your gut reaction? And if you can’t see past your dislike, you don’t have to review it! Reviewing should ultimately be a fun, creative process – so if you’re not having fun, why not try another text?

And discover fifteen more top tips from fifteen leading reviewers here .

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The Best Poetry Review: How-To Guides, Examples, and Practice

This series on Poetry explores different poem types, their historical significance, and offers practical tips on writing and analysis.

Designed for easy use at home or in the classroom, it brings poems to life for readers and writers alike.

Topics for Review

What is poetry.

Discover the essence of poetry as you explore different types of poems as well as the evolution of poetry over time. You'll also learn helpful tips for reading, writing, & citing poems.

Poetry Analysis

This Poetry Analysis section breaks down the building blocks of poetry, from its structure and rhyme schemes to the use of imagery. Engage in hands-on practice with step-by-step analysis of famous poems!

Poem Themes

This section explores various themes in poetry, such as love, life, nature, and change. Each post includes a curated selection of poems that highlight these themes!

Poem Studies: Famous Poems & Voices of Today

Featuring famous poems and contemporary voices, each post dives into a poet's work, discussing themes, styles, and impacts. Discover old classics and new favorites!

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How to Write a Poetry Book Review: A Simple Guide

• How To Write A Poetry Book Review

How to Write a Poetry Book Review

When reviewing a poetry book, there’s more to it than just expressing your opinions.

To write an effective review, you must carefully analyze the elements of the poetry collection, including its themes, figures of speech, and cultural context.

This process requires thoughtful consideration and attention to detail. This blog post will guide you through writing a poetry book review.

Whether you’re a literature student or simply someone who loves reading and analyzing poetry collections , our step-by-step guide will help you develop a comprehensive understanding of how to write a helpful review that captures all the essential aspects of the group.

So grab your notepad and pen, and let’s get started!

Exploring Central Themes and Messages

Interpreting the author’s purpose, analyzing the form and structure, exploring figures of speech, establishing historical relevance, providing background information, final thoughts on how to write a poetry book review, understanding the poetry selections.

Writing poetry book reviews is one way to sharpen your skills in understanding poetry .

A poetry book review allows you to engage with different poetic styles, themes, and literary devices poets use.

It also allows you to share your thoughts on a particular poem or collection with others with similar interests.

To begin writing a successful poetry book review, it’s essential first to read the selected poems carefully.

Take note of any recurring themes or symbols throughout the collection and try to identify any unique perspectives the poet presents.

One crucial aspect to consider when reviewing a poetry book is the central theme or message conveyed by the author.

This may include exploring identity, social justice, love, loss, or spirituality.

By identifying these themes and analyzing how they are developed throughout the collection of poems , readers can better understand the individual lyrics and their collective impact.

In addition to exploring central themes and messages in a poetry book review, it is also essential to note any unique stylistic choices made by the author.

Interpreting the author’s purpose is crucial to writing a poetry book review.

Understanding why the poet wrote their work and what they intended to convey to readers can help you evaluate the quality and impact of their poems.

To accurately interpret the author’s purpose, you need to understand literary devices, themes, and symbolism in-depth.

When analyzing a poem for its purpose, begin by examining its structure and form. Pay attention to things like rhyme scheme, meter, and stanza length.

These elements can provide clues as to what the poet was trying to achieve with their writing. Next, explore the themes that emerge from the poem.

Ask yourself questions about what message or emotion the poet is trying to communicate through their words. Consider how they use imagery and symbolism to convey these ideas.

Evaluating The Poetic Elements

Evaluating poetry as an art form can be a challenging task. When reviewing a poetry book, it is essential to understand the poetic elements that make up the work.

To begin with, you should look for an overarching theme or message the poem conveys.

This may be evident in the title, but you should consider how each poem contributes to this overall message.

Another crucial element of poetry is its use of language.

A poet’s choice of words and phrasing can significantly impact the meaning and effectiveness of their work.

As you review a poetry book , pay close attention to how language is used in each poem.

Look for poetic devices such as metaphors, similes, imagery, and symbolism that enhance the reader’s understanding and emotional connection to the text.

Finally, consider the structure and form of each poem within the collection.

Analyzing the form and structure of a poetry book is essential for writing a helpful review.

A good review not only praises the poet’s work but also provides insight into their style, themes, and literary devices used.

Before starting to write a review, reading the book thoroughly and taking notes on the individual poems is essential.

When analyzing poetry books , one must pay attention to the book’s overall structure. Does it have a clear narrative arc or thematic progression?

Is there a unifying theme that ties all of the poems together ?

One should also look at how individual poems are structured – what form they take (sonnet, haiku, free verse), what meter and rhyme scheme they use (if any), and how does this contribute to their meaning?

When writing poetry book reviews, incorporating figures of speech can elevate the quality and depth of your writing.

Figures of speech are literary devices that add a layer of meaning to words and phrases beyond their literal interpretations.

They can evoke emotion and create vivid imagery in the reader’s mind, making your review more engaging.

One commonly used figure of speech is a metaphor, which compares two seemingly unrelated things for emphasis or clarification.

For example, “her heart was a fragile glass vase” creates an image that conveys vulnerability in the reader’s mind.

Another popular device is a simile, which compares two things but uses “like” or “as” to make the comparison.

For instance, “his eyes were as blue as the ocean” evokes a specific hue and tone for readers to imagine.

Using personification is another effective way to incorporate figures of speech into your poetry book review.

Examining Historical And Cultural Context

Examining the historical and cultural context surrounding the collection of poems is essential.

This means looking beyond the words on the page and understanding how they fit into a larger societal framework.

By examining the historical and cultural context, reviewers can gain insight into the author’s intentions and how their work has been received by critics and readers alike.

One way to explore historical context is to research significant events or movements occurring when the poetry was written.

For example, reviewing a book of poems published during America’s Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s would be relevant to evaluate how themes of social justice or equality are addressed in each piece.

Establishing historical relevance is an essential element of any poetry book review.

As a reviewer, it is essential to understand the context in which the poet wrote and their literary influences and impact on the genre.

This requires a deep understanding of literary history and identifying historical trends and movements.

It is also important to provide readers with background information about the poet’s life and work.

This includes their education, career path, and any notable achievements or awards they may have received.

Additionally, it is essential to consider the social and political climate of the period in which the poet lived and worked to provide readers with a broader understanding of their work.

Finally, establishing historical relevance also involves analyzing how a poet’s work has impacted the genre.

This includes identifying stylistic innovations or themes that have influenced other poets or movements throughout history .

If you are new to writing poetry book reviews, it can be challenging to know where to begin.

Before diving into the review, providing some background information about the poet and their work is essential.

This will give your readers context and insight into what they can expect from the book.

The first step in providing background information is to research the poet. Please look at their previous works, any awards they have won, and their writing style.

This will help you understand the poet’s perspective and what themes they tend to explore in their writing.

Once you understand the poet’s background, it is time to dive into the book itself. Read through each poem carefully and note any recurring themes or motifs.

Consider how these elements contribute to the overall message of the collection and how they relate to current events or social issues.

In conclusion, writing a poetry book review requires careful attention to the work’s literary elements.

A good review should offer insightful analysis and critique while remaining accessible to readers unfamiliar with poetry.

Consider the author’s intent, themes, and form when crafting your review.

Don’t be afraid to offer your honest opinion, but ensure that it is backed up by evidence from the text.

By following these guidelines, you can write a compelling poetry book review that will engage readers and inspire them to explore new works of literature. Happy reviewing!

r. A. bentinck

Bentinck is a bestselling author in Caribbean and Latin American Poetry, he is a multifaceted individual who excels as both an artist and educator.

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Tweetspeak Poetry

How to Write a Poetry Review

By Glynn Young 16 Comments

We had considerable conversation, and a little controversy, around my post two weeks ago, The 6 Most Overused Words in Poetry Reviews . I didn’t realize poetry reviews were such a hot topic.

A common question arose: “OK, so you have six overused words in poetry reviews and three more that are contenders for the list of most overused. Just how do you go about writing a poetry review?”

I consider poetry and book reviews highly subjective endeavors. It is someone’s opinion, after all, of someone else’s creative work. There’s no textbook approach I could cite that would meet all conditions and situations.

But I can explain how to write a poetry review by describing how I do poetry reviews myself.

Walter Lippmann (1889-1974)

And you can blame Walter Lippmann (1889 – 1974).

Lippmann wrote a book entitled Public Opinion (1922) that was likely the most influential book on journalism until Marshall McLuhan came along more than 40 years later with Understanding Media (1964). Lippmann was a modernist, strongly influenced by science and the scientific method, and saw journalists as a key link between government and the public. He recognized that people bring preconceived ideas with them (we call them worldviews today) and it was critical to present the facts before those preconceived ideas could harden.

What flowed from Lippmann’s ideas was the notion of objectivity in journalism. What also developed was a journalistic approach known as “The Five Ws” or “The Five Ws and One H”—who, what, when, where, why and how. This is what I learned in journalism school in college, even as the ideas were becoming much more fluid with the impact of television (McLuhan) and the Watergate scandal. A decade later, the influence of post-modernism would begin to make an impact as well.

As an aside, Lippmann was a co-founder of The New Republic ; won two Pulitzer Prizes for journalism and reporting; helped Woodrow Wilson draft the Fourteen Points speech; coined the phrase Cold War ; feuded with Lyndon Johnson over the Vietnam War; and is considered today to be the father of modern journalism.

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5 Ws and One H

Those “Five Ws and One H”—that’s generally how I write poetry reviews. It was how I learned to write news stories in college, and how I learned to write first music and fiction reviews and later poetry reviews.

Who : I like to know who the poet is, what (if anything) has been previously published, if they have a website and how they describe themselves, and, if available, to see a photo. This is information that helps shape a review, and it’s important for a reader to know. The “who, ” even if brief, places a personality around the poems under consideration.

What : What kind of poetry is it? What form does it follow (or does it have a form)? What is the subject of the poems in the collection?

When : Is this the poet’s first collection? A chapbook? Where does it fall in the poet’s writing career? Does the collection make use of childhood or old-age themes and ideas? Is time an important factor in the poems?

Where : Does the volume have a geography? Robert Frost has New England, Carl Sandburg had Chicago, Walt Whitman had the Civil War hospitals of Washington and his home in New York, and Emily Dickinson had Amherst, Massachusetts. Is geography or a sense of place a strong element in the collection being reviewed?

Why : What is the poet trying to accomplish? What are the themes and ideas the poet is attempting to communicate?

How : How does the poet use language? What are the key metaphors (and there are almost always key metaphors)? What images are employed? What does all of this tell us about what’s going on in these poems?

While I always believe in providing context for a review, the fact is that a book of poetry can be evaluated simply on the basis of itself. It can also be evaluated by focusing solely on any one (or two) of the Five Ws and One H.

I’m not sure if Walter Lippmann ever thought his influence would extend to the writing of poetry reviews, but I don’t think he would be surprised.

Photo by Mike Locke, Creative Commons, via Flickr.  Post by Glynn Young , author of the novels Dancing Priest and A Light Shining , and Poetry at Work .

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Megan Willome says

July 21, 2015 at 9:50 am

See? Journalism!

Mary Sayler says

July 21, 2015 at 11:16 am

Timely again, Glynn. I have a bilingual edition to review, and your article helped. I suspect other poets and writers will gain much from your suggestions too, so I’ll highlight your post on the Christian Poets & Writers blog – http://www.christianpoetsandwriters.com

Charity Singleton Craig says

July 22, 2015 at 5:34 pm

Glynn – This is enormously helpful for reviews of all types. It’s also a good way just to enter into literature of all types, to find the context and the meaning of words others write. Thanks so much!

Violet N. says

July 25, 2015 at 9:28 am

“Objectivity in journalism…” what a novel concept!

Great article. As Charity said above, helpful for all review. I’m going to file this one.

Grant Clauser says

August 4, 2015 at 9:14 am

The last one, the “how” is the most important, and the one that gets most neglected in reviews. So often the reviewer focuses on the subject and themes in poems, and not the craft or style, but it’s the craft that set the great poems apart from the rest.

Koona Smith says

September 27, 2016 at 3:22 pm

thank you so much. you helped me with my problem. God bless.

Garima says

March 11, 2017 at 6:55 am

It was an immensely helpful read. Thank you!

Smitha says

July 9, 2019 at 5:22 am

This post is extremely helpful. Have a few books to write a review on and had no idea of how to go about it. Thank you for this.

Lalawmpuii Ralte says

September 2, 2019 at 11:02 pm

I find this post really helpful. I have to write a review on my sister’s collection of poems and I didn’t know how to begin. Now at least I can try

June 17, 2020 at 4:18 am

Hi Glynn – very humorous and true. I wondered what all the luminosity was about!!! I was comforted by again finding myself grounded, as in any state of learning, by the Who, What, Where, When, Why and How. I agree that one has to start with oneself before reading any other review. I have used these 6 word-tools in the Learning and Development profession for years. I don’t suppose one can invent a sequencing of words but by attaching oneself to their usefulness and by sharing learning, they can transform into way-marker posts. Thanks for reminding me and for being Lippman-like … for sharing, for being a guide 🙂

June 17, 2020 at 6:55 am

The six words are tried and true – but they still work just fine. Thanks for the comment, Mary.

I. Mónica del P says

August 31, 2020 at 5:05 pm

Greetiengs from Bogotá! Hi Glynn:) Just last night I got to know this space. Recently I began to read poetry “judiciously” and with this article you have helped me a lot to improve my approach with the genre (and to enjoy it more). Have you read Raul Gómez Jattin? I recommend it to you. I would like to know your opinion.

August 31, 2020 at 5:54 pm

Thanks for the comment! I looked into Gomez Jattin. On Amazon, his works are available only in Spanish. I checked two other sites, and all they had were Spanish versions as well. If you come across an English translation, please let me know!

August 31, 2020 at 6:14 pm

Thanks to you, you are very generous with knowledge. Of course, I will tell you.:)

J'Naye Wise says

April 5, 2021 at 7:32 pm

Hello Glynn, it’s a great article with tons of insights to learn from. It’ll be very useful to me since I’m planning to start my second book of poems already.

Anita Warrington says

April 5, 2021 at 7:36 pm

Keep up the good work Glynn, you are a great help especially to the poetry community and new writers who are just starting.

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Explore the beauty of poetry – discover the poet within

How To Write A Poetry Review

Understanding Poetry

Poetry is an art form that requires a deep understanding of language and its use. Before attempting to write a review of a poetry work, it is important to understand how the poet intends to communicate, using both literary and figurative language. Working your way through the poem, examining each line or stanza, can help you gain a better understanding of the poem’s intent and composition. Understanding the form of the poem, the intended audience, and the poet’s use of language, can help you prepare to write a review effectively.

Review Criteria

The criteria that you’ll use to evaluate a poem may vary depending on the genre, but some common ones are: structure and form, punctuation, diction and syntax, imagery, humor, and emotion. Structure and form refers to the type of poem being written and its use of rhyme scheme, meter, and other poetic techniques; if the poem is written in a traditional form, you’ll want to judge how closely the poem hews to that form. Punctuation, diction and syntax should be examined for appropriateness with the piece. Diction is the exacting choice of words that make up the poem, and syntax is the arrangement of those words. Imagery looks at the use of vivid language to create visual scenes and evoke emotion. Humor can range from subtle wit to outright satire; the critic should be able to identify when the poet is attempting to use it. Emotion assessment should cover how effectively the poem conveys emotion and how convincing that emotion is.

Before writing your review, it is important to do some research on the poet, their background and past works. You should also review the theme of the poem and try to relate it to other works or to other authors or poets. This background knowledge can help to provide context for the poem and your own interpretation. Doing a comparison of the poem to similar works can help you articulate why the poem stands out and its importance to the genre.

Writing the Review

When it comes to writing the review, it is important to be thorough and detailed. Start by providing an overview of the poem and its structure, provide a brief summary of the poem’s theme, and comment on the author’s use of literary devices, such as similes and metaphors. Then, provide your assessment of the poem’s overall impact, including its originality and strength in capturing the emotions intended by the poet. Be sure to provide reasoning for any criticisms or praise. This can include referencing other works or quotes from the poem. As a reviewer, you should provide an honest and unbiased opinion. It is also important to keep in mind the intended audience of the poem and determine if it accomplishes its purpose.

Style and Structure

Writing a review of a poem requires an understanding of the structure of the poem and its subject matter. When it comes to the structure of the review itself, it is important to be clear and concise, as this will ensure that your review is readable and easy to follow. Start with a brief introduction of the poem and its author, then move on to a condensed summary of the poem’s theme and structure. The length of the review should fit the length of the poem; do not focus too much on long quotes of the work if it is a haiku, for example. Finish the review with a clear conclusion, summarizing your opinion of the poem and the writer’s accomplishments.

Quality is Key

Finally, it is important to ensure that your review is of the highest quality. Proofread your review for any spelling or grammar errors, and make sure that your analysis is well reasoned and easy to follow. Clarity of thought and concise arguments are more effective than flowery language and unsubstantiated claims.

Using Emotional Triggers

Writing a review of a poem is more than just an evaluation; it is a way of showing appreciation and understanding of the poet’s work. As a critic, you should strive to capture the emotion of the poem and communicate it to your readers. Utilizing emotional triggers, like metaphors and similes, can help you convey the feelings of the poem. When used sparingly and effectively, these devices can help your readers understand the poem from a personal standpoint rather than a technical one. While a subjective experience will always be necessary for any review, embracing the emotion of a poem can make your words more meaningful and impactful.

Including An Expert Opinion

Including an opinion from a learned expert can help give credibility to your review. Reach out to an academic or respected poet to provide an outsiders perspective on the poem. Providing different interpretations of the poem, especially if the poem has multiple meanings, can provide readers with a well-rounded perspective. Cite the authority of the expert and explain why their opinion is relevant to the poem.

Engaging the Reader

The key to any successful review is engagement. Writing about a poem can be difficult as its component of emotion can often make it difficult to articulate. In order to create an engaging review, the writer should focus on hooking the reader with descriptions that evoke emotion, rather than memorizing individual words and quotes from the poem. With the help of literary devices and emotional triggers, it is possible to craft a review that will make readers stop and think.

Sharing Your Own Unique Perspective

The final component of a quality review is to make sure that your own unique opinion is shared. Many people view the same poem differently, so providing your readers with an outsider’s perspective can be very beneficial. Share your thoughts and observations, as well as your analysis of the poem. Be sure to provide clear, logical explanations for your opinions and to also include your personal experiences with the poem. Ultimately, the goal of a review should be to provide an honest, unbiased opinion of the work and to give readers something to think about.

Minnie Walters

Minnie Walters is a passionate writer and lover of poetry. She has a deep knowledge and appreciation for the work of famous poets such as William Wordsworth, Emily Dickinson, Robert Frost, and many more. She hopes you will also fall in love with poetry!

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SRPR Review Essay

Each issue of SRPR concludes with “The SRPR Review Essay,” a long analytical essay (20-25 pp) that blurs the line between the short, opinion-driven review and the academic article. Each review essay is written by an established poet-critic who situates 3-5 new books of contemporary poetry within relevant conversations concerning poetry and poetics. At least half of the books discussed in the review essay are published by small presses. Recent SRPR review essays include:

Issue 48.2 : Poetics of Entanglement: Recent Interventions in Gay Shame and Stigma by Phil Spotswood. A review of books by Aaron Smith, Justin Phillip Reed, and Patrick Kindig. entire text )--> Issue 48.1 : Exposure, Confinement, Haunting: Visual Poetry in the Twenty-First Century by Joanne Diaz. A review of books by Katy Didden, Sarah J. Sloat, and Mai Der Vang. ( entire text ) Issue 47.2 : “Dreams of Growing to Rock a Rhyme”: Tradition and Experiment in Recent American Sonnets by Brian Brodeur. A review of books by Caki Wilkinson, Rowan Ricardo Phillips, Matthew Buckley Smith, Alexis Sears, and John Murillo. (entire text ) Issue 47.1 : Redefining Our Futures: Recent Abolitionist Poetic Practice by Allison Serraes. A review of books by DaMaris B. Hill, Mahogany L. Brown, and Shayla Lawz. ( entire text ) Issue 46.2 : Seriousness, Humorously by Andrew Dorkin. A review of books by Joan Retallack, Morgan Parker, and Fred Moten. ( entire text ) Issue 46.1 : Poems in a Pandemic by contributing authors Sesshu Foster, Amy Gaeta, Anna Leahy, Timothy Liu, Mark Wallace, and Jillian Weise. Reviewing a book by Alice Quinn. ( entire text ) Issue 45.2 : Black Poems, White Space by Michael Theune. A review of books by Ashley M. Jones, francine j. harris, and Don Paterson. ( entire text ) Issue 45.1 : Disciples of Baldwin by Korey Williams. A review of books by Malcolm Tariq, Jericho Brown, and Carl Phillips. ( entire text ) Issue 44.2 : Migrant Poets Amid the Mire of Republican Antinepantla by Diego Báez. A review of books by Javier Zamora, Marcelo Hernandez Castillo, and Jan-Henry Gray. ( entire text ) Issue 44.1 : Form Dysfunction by Spencer Short. A review of books by Caroline Levine, Terrence Hayes, and Frederick Seidel. ( entire text ) Issue 43.2 : Taking Joy in Keats, the Comedian Poet by Brian Rejack. A review of books by Dan Beachy-Quick and Eric G. Wilson. ( entire text ) Issue 43.1 : Bad Plath: Excess and Theatricality in Contemporary Poetry by Johannes Göransson. A review of books by Cynthia Cruz, Brooke Ellsworth, Moss Angel the Undying, and Sara Tuss Efrik. ( entire text ) Issue 42.2 : The Body Apocalyptic: Recent Books from the Anthropocene by Jennifer Rane Hancock. A review of books by Angela Hume, Meghan Privitello, and Sam Witt. ( entire text ) Issue 42.1 : The Transcendental Circuit by Joshua Corey. A review of books by Ben Lerner, Claudia Rankine, Reginald Gibbons, and Kirill Medvedev. ( entire text ) Issue 41.2 : To Write the Larger Scene: Notes on the New Political Lyric by John Beer. A review of books by Nathaniel Mackey, Bhanu Kapil, Melissa Buzzeo, and Tyehimba Jess. ( entire text ) Issue 41.1 : The New in the News: Poetry, Authenticity, and the Historical Imagination by Bruce Bond. A review of books by Karen Solie and Adam Kirsch. ( entire text )  Issue 40.2 : Evolution and Apophatic Thought: A Theological Poetics for Our Time by Jerry Harp. A review of books by Eric Pankey, Michael Robbins, and Kimberly Johnson. e ntire te xt )--> Issue 40.1 : D U.S. KS by Aracelis Girmay. A review of books by Eduardo C. Corral, Claudia Rankine, and Jean Valentine. ( excerpt ) Issue 39.2 : Inventions of a Barbarous Age: Contemporary Rhyme in Poetry by Robert Archambeau. A review of books by R. S. Gwynn, Michael Robbins, Amanda Smeltz, and Ben Mazer. ( excerpt ) Issue 39.1 : Should "I Quit // Making This Poem"? Chris Dombrowsky’s narrative-style review essay on The Ecopoetry Anthology (Editors Ann Fisher-Wirth and Laura-Gray Street) and The Arcadia Project: North American Postmodern Pastoral (Editors Joshua Corey, SRPR 37.1 Featured Poet, and G. C. Waldrep). ( excerpt ) Issue 38.2 : Portals, Placentas, and the Corpus Entire: Three Takes on Ekphrasis by Katy Didden. A review of books by David Wojahn, Forrest Gander, and Sarah Fox. ( excerpt ) Issue 38.1 : The Golden Age of American Poetry Is Now by Seth Abramson. A review of new books by Anthony Madrid, Chelsey Minnis, and Matt Hart. ( entire essay ) Issue 37.2 : Torture Memos: Tracing Violence in Contemporary U.S. Poetry by Joyelle McSweeney. A review of new books by Richard Greenfield, Ben Kopel, and Khadijah Queen. ( excerpt ) Issue 37.1 : Bridging the Distance: Documentation and Disappearance in Performatic Poetry by Becca Klaver. A review of new books by Cecilia Vicuña, Kaia Sand, and Anne Carson. ( excerpt ) Issue 36.2 : Raising the Net by Michael Theune. A review of new books by Jeff Hilson, Karla Kelsey, Nick Demske, and Joshua Corey. ( excerpt ) Issue 36.1 : Dressed by Fire by Judith Harris. A review of new books by Jeanne Marie Beaumont and Duriel E. Harris. ( excerpt ) Issue 35.2 : Like Animals, Like Love by Andrew Osborn. A review of new books by Peter Campion, David Baker, and Melissa Range. ( excerpt )

Single copies of SRPR are available for $10 each. To order a back issue, visit our subscription page and select Single Copy .

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Of Angel and Puppet: Klee, Rilke, and the Test of Innocence

By Kenneth Gross

Built for his son from the scraps of daily life — matchboxes, beef bones, nutshells, and plaster — Paul Klee’s hand puppets harbour ghosts of human feelings, fragile communications from a world most adults have left behind. Kenneth Gross compares these enchanted objects to angelic figures, in Klee’s artworks and the poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke, helping us dance as well as wrestle with their visions of innocence. more

• Art & Illustrations

Beastly Clues: T. S. Eliot, Torquemada, and the Modernist Crossword

By Roddy Howland Jackson

Just a few years after The Waste Land appeared — a poem whose difficulty critics compared to some “pompous cross-word puzzle” — Edward Powys Mathers (alias: Torquemada) pioneered the cryptic: a puzzle form that, like modernist poetry, unwove language and rewove it anew. Roddy Howland Jackson reveals the pleasures and imaginative creatures lurking in Torquemada's lively grids. more

Petrarch’s Plague: Love, Death, and Friendship in a Time of Pandemic

By Paula Findlen

The Italian poet and scholar Francesco Petrarch lived through the most deadly pandemic in recorded history, the Black Death of the 14th century, which saw up to 200 million die from plague across Eurasia and North Africa. Through the unique record of letters and other writings Petrarch left us, Paula Findlen explores how he chronicled, commemorated, and mourned his many loved ones who succumbed, and what he might be able to teach us today. more

The Skeptical Pilgrim: Melville’s Clarel

By Jeff Wheelwright

Weighing in at a colossal 18,000 lines, Herman Melville’s Clarel (1876), which centres on the theological musings of a group of pilgrims touring the Holy Land, is not for the faint-hearted. Jeff Wheelwright explores the knot of spiritual dilemmas played out in the poem and its roots in Melville’s trip to the Middle East two decades earlier. more

• Religion, Myth & Legend

The Sound and the Story: Exploring the World of Paradise Lost

By Philip Pullman

John Milton’s Paradise Lost has been many things to many people — a Christian epic, a comment on the English Civil War, the epitome of poetic ambiguity — but it is first of all a pleasure to read. Drawing on sources as varied as Wordsworth, Hitchcock, and Conan Doyle, author Philip Pullman considers the sonic beauty and expert storytelling of Milton’s masterpiece and the influence it has had on his own work. more

Walt Whitman in Russia: Three Love Affairs

By Nina Murray

Walt Whitman’s influence on the creative output of 20th-century Russia — particularly in the years surrounding the 1917 Revolution — was enormous. For the 200th anniversary of Whitman's birth, Nina Murray looks at the translators through which Russians experienced his work, not only in a literary sense — through the efforts of Konstantin Balmont and Kornei Chukovsky — but also artistic, in the avant-garde printmaking of Vera Ermolaeva. more

“O Uommibatto”: How the Pre-Raphaelites Became Obsessed with the Wombat

By Angus Trumble

Angus Trumble on Dante Gabriel Rossetti and company’s curious but longstanding fixation with the furry oddity that is the wombat — that “most beautiful of God’s creatures” which found its way into their poems, their art, and even, for a brief while, their homes. more

Divining the Witch of York: Propaganda and Prophecy

By Ed Simon

Said to be spawn of the devil himself and possessed with great powers of prophetic insight, Mother Shipton was Yorkshire’s answer to Nostradamus. Ed Simon looks into how, regardless of whether this prophetess witch actually existed or not, the legend of Mother Shipton has wielded great power for centuries — from the turmoil of Tudor courts, through the frictions of civil war, to the spectre of Victorian apocalypse. more

• Culture & History

Eric, Count Stenbock: A Catch Of A Ghost

By David Tibet

With his extravagant dress, entourage of exotic pets, and morbid fascinations, Count Stenbock is considered one of the greatest exemplars of the Decadent movement. David Tibet on the enigmatic writer’s short and curious life. more

The Poetry of Victorian Science

By Gregory Tate

In 1848, the mineralogist, pioneer of photography, and amateur poet Robert Hunt published The Poetry of Science , a hugely ambitious work that aimed to offer a survey of scientific knowledge while also communicating the metaphysical, moral, and aesthetic aspects of science to the general reader. Gregory Tate explores what the book can teach us about Victorian desires to reconcile the languages of poetry and science. more

• Science & Medicine

Lofty Only in Sound: Crossed Wires and Community in 19th-Century Dreams

By Alicia Puglionesi

Alicia Puglionesi explores a curious case of supposed dream telepathy at the end of the US Civil War, in which old ideas about the prophetic nature of dreaming collided with loss, longing, and new possibilities of communication at a distance. more

On Oscar Wilde and Plagiarism

By Joseph Bristow and Rebecca N. Mitchell

Celebrated for his innovative wit, Oscar Wilde and the notion of originality are common bedfellows. The pairing, however, is not without its complications. Joseph Bristow and Rebecca N. Mitchell explore the claims of plagiarism that dogged Wilde's career, particularly as regards his relationship with that other great figure of late-19th-century Decadence, the American painter James McNeill Whistler. more

Sex and Science in Robert Thornton’s Temple of Flora

By Martin Kemp

Bridal beds, blushing captives, and swollen trunks - Carl Linnaeus' taxonomy of plants heralded a whole new era in 18th-century Europe of plants being spoken of in sexualised terms. Martin Kemp explores* how this association between the floral and erotic reached its visual zenith in Robert Thornton's exquisitely illustrated Temple of Flora . more

Wild Heart Turning White: Georg Trakl and Cocaine

By Richard Millington

To mark the 100th anniversary of the death by cocaine overdose of Austrian lyric poet Georg Trakl, Richard Millington explores the role the drug played in Trakl's life and works. more

Ghostwriter and Ghost: The Strange Case of Pearl Curran & Patience Worth

In early 20th-century St. Louis, Pearl Curran claimed to have conjured a long-dead New England puritan named Patience Worth through a Ouija board. Although mostly unknown today, the resulting books, poems, and plays that Worth "dictated" to Curran earned great praise at the time. Ed Simon investigates the curious and nearly forgotten literary fruits of a “ghost” and her ghostwriter. more

The Strangely Troubled Life of Digby Mackworth Dolben

By Carl Miller

In 1911 the soon-to-be poet laureate Robert Bridges published the poems of Digby Mackworth Dolben, a school friend who had drowned to death at the age of 19 almost half a century earlier. Carl Miller looks at Bridges' lengthy introduction in which he tells of the short and tragic life of the boy with whom fellow poet Gerard Manley Hopkins was reportedly besotted. more

The Krakatoa Sunsets

By Richard Hamblyn

When a volcano erupted on a small island in Indonesia in 1883, the evening skies of the world glowed for months with strange colours. Richard Hamblyn explores a little-known series of letters that the poet Gerard Manley Hopkins sent in to the journal Nature describing the phenomenon - letters that would constitute the majority of the small handful of writings published while he was alive. more

An 18th-Century Genius in Bondage: The Poems and Politics of Phillis Wheatley

By Vincent Carretta

Transported as a slave from West Africa to America when just a child, Phillis Wheatley published in 1773, at the age of twenty, her Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral . Vincent Carretta takes a look at the remarkable life of the first ever African-American woman to be published. more

An Unlikely Lunch: When Maupassant met Swinburne

By Julian Barnes

Julian Barnes on when a young Guy de Maupassant was invited to lunch at the holiday cottage of Algernon Swinburne. A flayed human hand, pornography, the serving of monkey meat, and inordinate amounts of alcohol, all made for a truly strange Anglo-French encounter. more

Robert Southey’s Dreams Revisited

By W.A. Speck

As well as being poet laureate for 30 years and a prolific writer of letters, Robert Southey was an avid recorder of his dreams. W.A. Speck, author of Robert Southey: Entire Man of Letters , explores the poet's dream diary and the importance of dreams in his work. more

Lewis Carroll and The Hunting of the Snark

By Edward Wakeling

In 1876 Lewis Carroll published by far his longest poem - a fantastical epic tale recounting the adventures of a bizarre troupe of nine tradesmen and a beaver. Carrollian scholar, Edward Wakeling, introduces The Hunting of the Snark . more

Christopher Smart’s Jubilate Agno

By Frank Key

The poet Christopher Smart — also known as "Kit Smart", "Kitty Smart", "Jack Smart" and, on occasion, "Mrs Mary Midnight" — was a well known figure in 18th-century London. Nowadays he is perhaps best known for considering his cat Jeoffry. Writer and broadcaster Frank Key looks at Smart's weird and wonderful Jubilate Agno . more

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The editors of Asheville Poetry Review are pleased to announce the WILLIAM MATTHEWS POETRY PRIZE RECIPIENTS for 2023.

Kate DeLay , from Tuscaloosa, AL, is awarded first prize for her poem “Repentance,” and will receive $1000 plus publication in Asheville Poetry Review (Vol. 30, Issue 33), which will be released in December 2023.

Second prize is awarded to Rodney Gomez , from McAllen, TX, for his poem “Tableau With Tarantella, Public Housing, and Underwood Ham.” He will receive $250 as well as publication.

Jeanne Wagner , from Kensington, CA, is the third prize recipient for her poem “Penelope,” and she will also be published in our next issue.

The next reading period for the William Matthews Poetry Prize is from September 15, 2023 – January 15, 2024. The final judge will be announced soon. For the guidelines and more, visit ashevillepoetryreview.submittable.com .

The 2024 William Matthews Poetry Prize

First Prize : $1,000, publication in Asheville Poetry Review , and a featured reading in Asheville Second Prize : $250, publication, and a featured reading in Asheville Third Prize : Publication and a featured reading in Asheville

Judge for 2024 : David Kirby

The final judge will read anonymous manuscripts (all identifying information will be removed from the poems).

All submissions will be considered for publication.

Submission Deadline : January 15 of each year.

Send 1-3 poems, any style, any theme, any length, with a $20 entry fee.

Online submissions only, through Submittable:

Back issue content recently added

The Asheville Poetry Review website is in the process of an all-inclusive update. Our mission is to make all of the content of our back issues available online, creating an archive that contains the complete publishing history of our first fifteen years, dating from our first issue, published in June 1994. We thank you for your patience as we update this site.

Below you’ll find links to the most recently added poetry, reviews, essays and interviews.

The Angels of Our Expectations

The fiction of history, double elegy: for a child, for an old man, morning of the duel, of flesh and heaven, never too late, for camilla wren mcdaniel.

— translated from the Latin by A. E. Stallings

— translated from the Spanish by Louis Bourne

William Matthews Essay Thomas P. Feeny Gaylord Brewer Jonathan Williams Robert Bly Sally Buckner Emöke Z. B’Racz Jeffery Beam Thomas Rain Crowe Dede Wilson Al Maginnes Luke Hankins Review Rene Char Michael Harper Lyn Lifshin Ron Rash Spanish Simon Perchik J. W. Bonner Ryan G. Van Cleave Welsh Russian Jonathan Greene Emmanuel Moses Patricia Smith Marilyn Hacker Keith Flynn Stella Vinitchi Radulescu Lee Ann Brown Bill Knott Robert Creeley Eugenio Montale Janice Moore Fuller Phebe Davidson Patrick Bizzaro Marilyn Kallet Quincy Troupe Kathryn Stripling Byer Jack Hirschman Gearóid Mac Lochlainn R. T. Smith Hungarian Newton Smith

• 19   Vol. 16, No. 1
• 18   Vol. 15, No. 1
• 17   Vol. 14, No. 1
• 16   Vol. 13, No. 1
• 15   Vol. 12, No. 1
• 14   Vol. 11, No. 1
• 13   Vol. 10, No. 1
• 12   Vol. 9, No. 1
• 11   Vol. 8, No. 1
• 10   Vol. 7, No. 1
• 0 9   Vol. 6, No. 1
• 0 8   Vol. 5, No. 1
• 0 7   Vol. 4, No. 1
• 0 6   Vol. 3, No. 2
• 0 5   Vol. 3, No. 1
• 0 4   Vol. 2, No. 2
• 0 3   Vol. 2, No. 1
• 0 2   Vol. 1, No. 2
• 0 1   Vol. 1, No. 1
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APR Prose Submission: Essays, Book Reviews, and Interviews

The American Poetry Review is dedicated to reaching a worldwide audience with a diverse array of the best contemporary poetry and literary prose. APR also aims to expand the audience interested in poetry and literature, and to provide authors, especially poets, with a far-reaching forum in which to present their work. Please do not send previously published material. We strive to respond to all submissions within six months. Copyright: APR holds first serial rights for material that we publish. The copyright automatically reverts to the author upon publication. We do not require that material be copyrighted prior to submission.

         We pay authors at a rate of $1 per line of poetry and $60 per APR page of prose.

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SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

Harvard Review publishes short fiction, poetry, essays, and book reviews. Writers at all stages of their careers are invited to apply, however, we can only publish a very small fraction of the material we receive. If you are interested in submitting your work for consideration, please refer to the guidelines below. We recommend that you familiarize yourself with Harvard Review before you submit your work. You can find information about the current issue as well as subscription information online.

Do you waive submission fees in case of financial hardship?

If the reading fee at Submittable presents a financial hardship, please email us at info [at] harvardreview.org.

How should I format my manuscript?

Manuscripts must be paginated and clearly labeled with the author’s name on every page. Please submit no more than 5 poems or 7,000 words of prose. Do not send the only copy of your work as we do not accept responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts.

Do you accept book reviews?

We do not accept unsolicited book reviews. If you are interested in reviewing please write to [email protected] describing the kind of books you would be interested in reviewing and enclosing one or more recent clips.

Do you accept paper submissions?

We accept paper submissions by mail:

Harvard Review Lamont Library Harvard University Cambridge, MA 02138

Please include a self-addressed, stamped envelope with your submission. Manuscripts will not be mailed back.

How often can I submit my work?

We ask that writers submit no more than twice a year.

Do you accept simultaneous submissions?

Simultaneous submissions are encouraged, but we ask that you notify us if the work is accepted elsewhere. If you sent work via Submittable, do not email the editors to withdraw part or all of your submission; instead, withdraw in Submittable, or for partial withdrawals, add a note to your submission.

What is your response time?

While we try to respond to submissions within 6 months, it can occasionally take longer for a manuscript to be read. We ask for your patience as we do make every effort to read all the submissions we receive.

Can I inquire about the status of my submission?

Unfortunately, we are unable to respond to status inquiries.

ONLINE SUBMISSIONS

Philly Poetry Chapbook Review accepts unsolicited submissions of completed work by email. Submissions are open until further notice.

Writers interested in reviewing or interviewing on assignment can query the editor with a little about yourself and clips if you have them.

Specific guidelines for each category can be found below. There are no fees.

( Last update: 2/11/2024 )

Submissions: submissions { @ } phillychapbookreview.org

Queries: editor { @ } phillychapbookreview.org

General Submission Guidelines:

• We’re looking for reviews of forthcoming or recently published chapbooks and literary essays. We do not publish original poetry, fiction or non-book-related creative nonfiction.
• Our goal is to publish criticism and analysis that doesn’t feel too academic. Our target audience is people who enjoy books so much that they want to read about the books they read. We want to make that both an educational and an enjoyable experience.
• We pay a token fee of $10 for all accepted work , because all writers deserve to be paid. We hope to increase our budget in the future, but it’s the best we can do for now. In the meantime, if you have a relevant project, social media accounts, or an author website, we have great internet skills want to promote them.
• PCR is a curated journal. We purchase first serial rights, which revert to the author one month after publication, and non-exclusive archival and syndication rights.

Book Reviews & Essays

• We’re looking for reviews of poetry chapbooks. If the publisher or author has a Greater Philadelphia connection, that’s great. If not, we don’t mind. We’re an international journal and quality is key. If it’s a straight, single-book review, we prefer forthcoming titles or chapbooks published within the past year.
• While we believe that weaknesses should be pointed out for our readers, we want to highlight deserving work . We especially encourage works by authors from underrepresented communities. However, whether a writer can prove their worth through their work will always be our primary standard.
• What is the author trying to say?
• How does the author achieve their goal and where do they fall short?
• How does the reviewer feel about the book as a reader?
• What type of readers might enjoy the book, what type wouldn’t, and why?
• We encourage research of the author’s background and for some of that information to make its way into the piece. We also encourage creative literary connections.
• The reviewer shouldn’t have a personal relationship with the book or the author. Acquaintances and colleagues are everywhere, but true conflicts of interest will not be tolerated.
• Expected length for book reviews is 400-600 words. We’re a review of books, not a trade reviewer like Publishers’ Weekly or Kirkus .
• Expected length for book essays is 900-2,500 words. Longer is acceptable, if it’s justified.

Craft Essays

• Essays should focus on a particular element of poetry or chapbook craft and include examples to support their arguments. Specific works and brief quotes should be used to illustrate their point.
• The tone of essays should be conversational and understood by general readers, writers, and academics, alike. While we love criticism, we want readers of all backgrounds to be able to appreciate it. Avoid too much academic jargon and literary theory.
• Expected length is 1,500 to 3,000 words. Exceptions can be made.

Author Features

• Unsolicited finished work may be submitted, but we strongly encourage pitches in this category. You don’t need experience, but should at least have a clear plan. If you do and we’re interested, we can help you coordinate.
• We’re looking for profiles of chapbook authors based on research and interview. We favor narrative profiles in the style of creative nonfiction, but a standard lede of a few paragraphs followed by Q & A is acceptable.
• If you want to write a profile of an author who’s chapbook you’re also reviewing, please let us know when you pitch or are assigned the review. This can make for two great pieces, but it’s usually best to coordinate through representatives. We can provide the necessary contacts and credibility.
• Length varies , depending on the type of piece. Features and interviews of a single author or publisher should be at least 1,000 words.

Submit Chapbooks for Review

• Digital galleys and advance reader copies of poetry chapbooks can be sent in PDF format with a brief description and author bio to: info { @ } phillychapbookreview.org
• Otherwise, feel free to send us a brief pitch about the book and the author. Tell us why we should love a book and prioritize it. Not too long, please.

Chapbook suggestions: pitches { @ } phillychapbookreview.org

Please begin subject line with “Chapbook Submission:”.

National Poetry Month

You can tell by the facile daffodils

And many bans on gender- Affirming care that spring is here.

It is successful, it succeeds,

No resistance to the calendar.

A miracle the day can hold

All the struck past of weather.

Then things get complicated.

The yellow has melancholy

Loose within it, and green

Takes back the perimeter.

With all the invisible growth

On hand, you feel a mania

Came and went overnight

Or remains as fragrance.

Health and illness, illness and health,

In time-lapse photography

There’s not much difference.

The average of shock and pleasure

Is shock. At least you’re here,

Full of a spirited vulnerability

Sheltered by the forecast,

Holding a dying hyacinth

In your arms, reading people

Who want to pretend otherwise.

Rachel Cusk

Renaissance women, fady joudah, you might also like, photograph of the missing being, the stadium effect, the yale review festival 2024.

Join us April 16–19 for readings, panels, and workshops with Hernan Diaz, Katie Kitamura, and many others.

By the Book

Ada Limón Won’t Let Prose Touch the Poetry on Her Shelves

“I mean that as an organizing principle,” says the U.S. poet laureate, who has edited a new anthology of nature poetry called “You Are Here,” “and also as a slight against prose.”

Credit... Rebecca Clarke

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What books are on your night stand?

My night stand doesn’t speak to me anymore. That’s because, here’s the truth: I don’t read at night. The night stand is where books go to die. I think that I’ll read something before bed and then I immediately fall asleep, so the real question is, what books are on my desk? Right now that’s “Eve,” by Cat Bohannon; “Martyr!,” by Kaveh Akbar; Mosab Abu Toha’s “Things You May Find Hidden in My Ear”; “You Can Be the Last Leaf,” by Maya Abu Al-Hayyat; and an advance copy of “The Backyard Bird Chronicles,” by Amy Tan.

How do you organize your books?

I put them in piles during my busy travel months, then I cry and stomp when the piles feel unwieldy, and then my husband ponders if I should get rid of a few, but I will not do that, and then, very methodically I alphabetize them. I also separate them by genres. Prose cannot touch poetry in my little world. And I mean that as an organizing principle and also as a slight against prose.

Describe your ideal reading experience (when, where, what, how).

I’d be reading a book in some sun-filled spot outside, while knowing every human being is safe, cared for, fed, beloved, and all wars have ended. And in our new manifested world that celebrates humanity, interconnectedness, nature and peace, I can sit outside under the oak trees and savor every line of a poem. And the music of the poem will sing back to the music of the world. That’s my ideal reading experience.

Are you able to write outside, in nature, or only at a desk?

I love writing outside. When I’m home in Kentucky, I write on my screened-in porch, that is if it’s warm enough. I love to fill the feeder and watch the birds in between writing lines of poems. Through the years, I’ve trained myself to write anywhere. Planes, hotel rooms — anywhere, really. Though it helps if there is silence. Or sounds of nature.

How did you decide whom to commission for the new anthology?

I chose the poets that I knew had recently been working in interesting ways with the subject of nature. I feel so lucky with the final collection. It’s even more powerful than I imagined.

Did anyone say no? What reason did they give?

There were exactly four poets that said no. They are all wonderful writers who were torn in too many directions by the demands of life to produce something new for the anthology. Life doesn’t always allow writers to write.

Did you line-edit or advise on specific language choices?

Along with the wonderful editor (and poet) Bailey Hutchinson, I went through each poem and made a few minor suggestions. For the most part, just gentle nudges here and there. All of these poets are excellent and sent in gorgeous, complete poems.

“A place I love is about to disappear,” one poem begins. Did you expect the collection to be so melancholy?

I don’t think the book is melancholy at all. The word “melancholy” often infers no obvious cause, just a general sort of sadness. That’s not present in this book. I do think it’s full of solastalgia, which is defined as the “distress caused by environmental change,” and I also think the book is full of an urgent praise, the way you can love something so dearly because it’s leaving or changing.

What’s the last book that made you cry?

“Praisesong for the Kitchen Ghosts” by Crystal Wilkinson is a cookbook and a memoir combined that celebrates generations of Black women in Appalachia. Wilkinson always has a way of saying it true and making me weep.

Do you count any books as guilty pleasures?

Oh yes, Anne Rice was a great guilty pleasure of mine. All things vampires and witches, anything with magic. What a gift those books were for me as a teenager. In some ways they were as foundational as some of the canonical books I read in school.

What’s the most interesting thing you learned from a poem in this volume?

One wonderful thing I learned about was from Aimee Nezhukumatathil’s poem, “Heliophilia”: Rhubarb makes a wild popping or crackling noise when it grows in the dark. Now I’ve seen videos of this occurrence and I love it. We have yet to truly understand the language of plants.

Did any of the poems make you want to travel to their settings?

Many: Victoria Chang’s poem set in Alaska, for example, and the desert landscape poems by Eduardo C. Corral and Rigoberto González. But for the most part the poems make me want to pay attention to wherever I am right now, to look deeply at what’s around me, and not miss it.

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Program in Creative Writing Celebrates National Poetry Month 2024

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To celebrate National Poetry Month in April, the Lewis Center for the Arts invited seniors writing a poetry collection as their creative writing thesis to read one of their poems

Click the images below to listen to the poems of Juliette Carbonnier and Ananya Grover. This post will be updated soon with poetry readings from Kenza Benazzouz and Anurag Pratap. Stay tuned!

On April 30 at 4:30 p.m., these seniors and others will read from the collections of poems written as their senior theses under mentorship of professional writers on the faculty. Seniors will read from their work in fiction on May 1 at 4:30 p.m.

Learn more about the  Program in Creative Writing

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Steve Runk Director of Communications 609-258-5262 [email protected]

Lewis Center for the Arts’ Princeton Atelier presents a concert of original songs by students in the spring course, “How to Write a Song”

Princeton Arts Fellows for 2024-2026 Announced

2024 Senior Readings in Poetry, Translation, Screenwriting

2024 Senior Readings in Fiction

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The best recent poetry – review roundup

A Year of Last Things by Michael Ondaatje; The Silence by Gillian Clarke; Joy in Service on Rue Tagore by Paul Muldoon; May Day by Jackie Kay; I Cannot Be Good Until You Say It by Sanah Ahsan; Grief’s Alphabet by Carrie Etter

A Year of Last Things by Michael Ondaatje ( Cape, £14.99 ) After a break of nearly 20 years, Ondaatje has returned to poetry, ruminating on sliding doors moments in life, “as those torn lines remind us / how to recall”. Through his characteristic mix of lyric and prose poems, he articulates feelings we struggle to acknowledge, especially the fact that nothing lasts: one poem is called The Great Impermanence. “So many things to learn, keep on learning / during these last days, watching us / with an awareness that we perhaps / have not learned but shall.” This is a generous, moving book.

The Silence by Gillian Clarke ( Carcanet, £12.99 ) The latest collection from the former national poet of Wales opens in 2020’s first lockdown, finding uplift outside the window: “the blackbird’s Latin all day long / [ …] / his song on the spire of the beech: / veni vidi vici, veni vidi vici, / this is mine mine mine.” Clarke’s skill lies in using simple language to record moments of great beauty, no less lovely for sometimes being familiar. She reminds us of the comfort to be drawn from paying attention to nature: “After long isolation, in times like these, / in the world’s darkness, let us love like trees.”

Joy in Service on Rue Tagore by Paul Muldoon ( Faber, £14.99 ) Following 2021’s Howdie-Skelp, Muldoon is in a playful mode. The book is buttressed by long sonnet sequences, at once enigmatic, wise and vitriolically angry, notably in Near Izium, which focuses on the Ukraine war: his most powerful political poem since Meeting the British. Elsewhere he creates sense and nonsense through his unmatched ear for unexpected rhyme, avoiding whimsy by pinpointing instances of tender clarity amid the levity: “We mourn all those poor souls who’ve drowned / because our own inconstant beacons // have led to their running aground.”

May Day by Jackie Kay ( Picador, £10.99 ) Kay’s eighth collection weighs the loss of her parents against a celebration of collective power and the joy of protest marches, themes most successfully intertwined in the title poem: “What can I say but flame the alarm / before our world goes up in shame.” While her language at times could work harder to dodge cliche (a “gunmetal grey” river “stretching away under a lead sky”), Kay’s impeccable musicality is a delight, as is her Glasgow: a backdrop to hymns of secular solidarity, “a place of welcome / to the citizens of the world”.

I Cannot Be Good Until You Say It by Sanah Ahsan ( Bloomsbury, £9.99 ) The clinical psychologist’s debut collection is a restless interrogation of various facets of their life and work: their relationship with Islam; queerness; danger in the therapy room. “White makes a muslim of threat. / Dogma makes a threat of queer. / A lie has a way of remaking itself.” Studded with Quranic quotations, Ahsan’s lines often break in ways that make the poems feel unsettled, but that still deliver moments of grace: “desire is a dragonfruit / we are almost tasting / you and the You that we don’t know.”

Grief’s Alphabet by Carrie Etter ( Seren, £10.99 ) An impassioned reckoning with the aftermath of Etter’s adoptive parents’ deaths. Etter has the ability to floor you as she explores guilt (“The errant daughter an ocean away”), and makes everyday observations that are anything but banal: “I collect and collect: the novel from her bedside, / bookmark never to advance.” She is particularly good at showing how finding a language for grief is close to impossible; one poem runs in its entirety, “F Is for Fuck This.”

• Poetry roundup
• Michael Ondaatje
• Paul Muldoon

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