Today, the Library of Congress announced the appointment of the 19th Poet Laureate, Natasha Trethewey, who will assume her duties this coming fall. Unlike the previous two Poet Laureates, both in their eighties when appointed, Trethewey is mid-career, only 46 years old (and incidentally, incredibly gorgeous). James Billington, the librarian of Congress, told
Poetry
Watch 10 Celebrities Reading Famous Poems Aloud
In honor of National Poetry month, we at Flavorpill have been amping up our poetic coverage a little bit, from suggesting poems you can memorize to celebrating our favorite badass poets. But since poetry is really meant to be read aloud, we’ve also been celebrating the month by listening to some of our favorite celebrities reading famous poems. Now, audio recordings of celebrities — especially (British) actors — reading poetry are a dime a dozen, so we decided to limit the field to actual videos of celebrities performing readings and recitations, whether on stage, in a more intimate setting, or filmed solo. Click through to watch a few of your favorite public personas read you some poetry, and let us know which ones you like best in the comments. … Read More
The Essential Adrienne Rich
We were saddened yesterday to learn that Adrienne Rich, the incomparable feminist poet and essayist, passed away at 82. The poet, whose work has been an essential part of the American poetic canon for the last fifty years, was much-lauded in her many years of activity, receiving (among other honors) a Yale Younger Poets Award, two Guggenheim Fellowships, a National Book Award, a MacArthur Fellowship, and a National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. In 1997, she was awarded the National Medal for the Arts, the most prestigious award an artist can win, and refused it, writing to then-president Clinton that “The radical disparities of wealth and power in America are widening at a devastating rate… A president cannot meaningfully honor certain token artists while the people at large are so dishonored.”
Rich’s body of work is massive and varied, and there are several nearly all-inclusive collections floating around (our guess is that there are about to be a few more), but here we’ve collected what we feel to be the essential books from this incredible poet, who will long be remembered as one of the most influential writers of the 20th century. … Read More
Wanted: Virtual Reality Pop-Up Books
So, apparently this is the pop-up book of the future — and while we’re not exactly sure that the future needs a special kind of pop-up book, we have to admit it’s pretty awesome. Between Page and Screen, an “augmented reality pop-up book” by Amaranth Borsuk and Brad Bouse due to come out this spring in a limited run from Siglio Press, has printed symbols on every page that when held up to your webcam, spring up from the paper to become 3D poems. Poetry in three dimensions? Could get kind of interesting. Click through to watch the video, and let us know what you think in the comments. … Read More
Literary Legends Resurrected for Surreal Readings
Jim Clark’s animations resurrect legendary poets and literary figures from the past so we can enjoy readings of their famous works. The result is uncanny and somewhat hypnotizing — particularly when the animation appears to be totally seamless with the photographic image used. The sound of an old LP crackling and the scratchy film quality adds to the ambience. Light a few candles, and check out a few of our favorite readings past the break. … Read More
Our Favorite Poems About Movies
As you may have already heard, today the first Thursday in October, and is thus National Poetry Day. In celebration of this beloved writerly holiday, those of us over here in the film corner of your Flavorwire decided to post some of our favorite poems about our favorite subject: the movies. Join us after the jump for a few of our favorite cinematic poems, as suggested by the indispensible volume Lights, Camera, Poetry! (edited by Jason Shinder); feel free to add your own (or what the hell, make one up) after the jump. … Read More
The Best of the Best New Poets of 2011
Last week, the publishers of the annual Best New Poets anthology released the final lineup for their 2011 installment, chosen this year by guest editor D.A. Powell. The anthology will feature 50 new poems by 50 emerging poets, each chosen from a selection of work nominated by literary magazines and writing programs or submitted by the poets themselves. Eager for a whiff of our future poet laureate or literary game changer, we sifted through the internet for work by the talented poets to get ourselves a sneak peek of what we can expect from Best New Poets 2011. While we liked almost everything we found, we did hit upon ten poets whose work we particularly loved, whom we will now deem, based on our own subjective tastes, of course, the Best of the Best New Poets of 2011. Click through to check out our picks, but don’t be shy — there are 40 more poets whose work is just waiting to be explored.
Philip Levine Is America’s New Poet Laureate
Congratulations to Philip Levine, who was named America’s newest poet laureate this morning. The 83-year-old writer is a professor emeritus in the English Department at California State University, Fresno and has published 20 collections of poems, along with several non-fiction books. Levine has also been the recipient of countless honors, including a Pulitzer Prize, the… Read More
One Half of the Coen Brothers to Publish Book of Apocalypse Poetry
According to Jacket Copy, filmmaker Ethan Coen, one half of the cult brotherly team that brought us great films like “No Country For Old Men,” “The Big Lebowski,” and “True Grit,” among others, is coming out with a new book of poetry, to be published by Crown in the spring of 2012. Which,… Read More
10 Contemporary Southern and Midwestern Poets You Should Know
Since there was a dearth of poets from the Midwest and South in our last poetry post, we’d like to like to call attention to ten emerging poets from this giant swath of land who are deserving of our attention — some of whom you mentioned in the previous comments section. See? We do listen. Jennifer Karmin extolled the virtues of living as a poet in the Midwest in an e-mail: “In a nutshell [it has] cheap rent, great teaching opportunities, and amazing creative community.” If you’re interested in more established poets (like Ohio’s own Rita Dove), you might want to pick up Crossing State Lines: An American Renga, which was recently published by FSG. Or, if you’re interested in some poetic justice, the Oxford American wrote about contemporary Afro-Mississippian poets a few years back. If nothing else, we suggest you read Keno Davis’s “Hea’m (Heaven),” which features one of our favorite lines in modern poetry: “I wonder if there’s a Hooters in Heaven ‘cause I’m gonna need something to do on Monday nights.” As always, if there’s anyone we missed, please bring it to our attention in the comments section below. … Read More
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