poetry Archives | Northwest Public Broadcasting

Beach Adventures And Falling In Love: Summer In A Haiku

By NPR News July 4, 2019

Cotton candy smiles/and merry go round horses/in soft sudden rain — Cindy Guentherman, Loves Park, Ill. CREDIT: Scott Bakal for NPR

The haiku that listeners sent us about summer evoked all kinds of memories. Some said the season reminds them of ice cream or trips to the beach. Others shared precious memories of young love. Continue Reading Beach Adventures And Falling In Love: Summer Read More

Joy Harjo Becomes The First Native American U.S. Poet Laureate

By NPR News June 19, 2019

Joy Harjo will become the 23rd poet laureate of the United States, making her the first Native American to hold the position. Shawn Miller/Library of Congress

Poet, writer and musician Joy Harjo — a member of the Muscogee Creek Nation — often draws on Native American stories, languages and myths. But she says that she's not self-consciously trying to bring that material into her work. If anything, it's the other way around. Read More

Celebrate National Poetry Month By Submitting Your #NPRPoetry Tweets

By NPR News April 7, 2019

It's Poetry Month. Tweet us your mini poems all April using the hashtag #NPRPoetry. bortonia/Getty Images

It's that time of the year when we tip our hats — and yours — to the art of the verse. All month, tweet your mini poems with the hashtag #NPRPoetry, and we'll pick some to feature on-air and online. Continue Reading Celebrate National Read More

A Lost ‘Little Boy’ Nears 100: Poet And Publisher Lawrence Ferlinghetti

By NPR News March 20, 2019

The Beat Generation icon and owner of City Lights bookstore and press in San Francisco is still writing. He celebrates his centennial March 24, and his new autobiographical novel is out now. Continue Reading A Lost ‘Little Boy’ Read More

Celebrate Women’s History Month With Special Programs

By Gillian Coldsnow March 6, 2019

Four programs this March examine myriad aspects of women’s history, from poetry. Tina Fey takes you into the hidden world of girls around the world, Meryl Streep narrates a program about how women poets radically changed American poetry, and hear about the women pilots of World War II. More about these programs and when to… Read More

Beloved Poet Mary Oliver, Who Believed Poetry ‘Mustn’t Be Fancy,’ Dies At 83

By NPR News January 17, 2019

Poet Mary Oliver speaks at the 2010 Women's Conference in California. CREDIT: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

Oliver wasn't always appreciated by critics, but she was still one of the country's most popular poets. In 2012, she told NPR, "Poetry, to be understood, must be clear." Continue Reading Beloved Poet Mary Oliver, Who Believed Poetry Read More

Pulled Into Poetry: Northwest Poet Savannah Slone Releases First Book

By T.J. Tranchell January 2, 2019

After finishing her degree in CWU’s Professional and Creative Writing program and an MFA from Lindenwood University, the 23-year-old Savannah Slone is releasing her first chapbook, 'Hearing the Underwater,' on January 4 with Finishing Line Press. Read More

Poetry Might Make The Perfect Gift (Especially For The Time-Crunched On Your List)

By NPR News December 7, 2018

Poet Tess Taylor says a good poem can "reroute your day" in under five minutes. She offers suggestions for poetry that "takes you to a different place, and then allows you to return a little altered." Continue Reading Poetry Read More

These Wicked Dia De Los Muertos Poems Don’t Spare Anyone

By PBS Newshour November 3, 2018

For the Mexican holiday Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, writing rhyming poems called calaveras literarias — mocking epitaphs for the dead or satire targeting the living — has become a proud tradition. Continue Reading These Wicked Dia De Los Read More