Mar 11 Watch 3:26 Kara Jackson’s Brief But Spectacular take on honoring her lineage By Melissa Williams Kara Jackson is known for being the 2019-2020 National Youth Poet Laureate from Oak Park, Illinois. But her art is not limited to one medium or one place. She writes poems but also essays and music that explore her family… Continue watching
Feb 23 Watch 4:06 A teacher’s Brief But Spectacular take on how spoken word poetry amplifies student voice By PBS NewsHour Peter Kahn has taught English and spoken word poetry to thousands of students at Chicago's Oak Park and River Forest High School since 1994. In collaboration with his current and former students, Kahn is releasing the anthology, "Respect the Mic:… Continue watching
Dec 02 The pandemic has been a roller-coaster ride. This poet captures the feeling By Joshua Barajas Poet Jasmine Gardosi was commissioned by the British charity National Literacy Trust to write a poem about the pandemic. So she performed a poem while riding an actual roller coaster. Continue reading
Nov 22 Prominent poet Robert Bly, author of ‘Iron John’, dies at 94 By Steve Karnowski, Associated Press Bly published his first book of poems, "Silence in the Snowy Fields," in 1962. He won the National Book Award in 1968 for "The Light Around the Body," a book of Vietnam War protest poems. Bly donated the $1,000 prize… Continue reading
Oct 11 Watch 3:02 How poetry helps this young Afghan refugee ’empty’ her pains and share her dreams By Rawan Elbaba, Student Reporting Labs October 11 is the International Day of the Girl. Tonight, we hear from one girl, a young Afghan poet, who left her country a few years ago with her family for security reasons. Aryan Ashory now lives in a refugee… Continue watching
Mar 29 A poem on how the human spirit survives overlapping crises By Joshua Barajas In Dr. Fady Joudah’s poem “House of Mercury,” a severe summer storm has blown over Houston. The poem is a tribute to the "beauty of the human spirit."… Continue reading
Mar 22 Watch 6:01 How one doctor’s love for poetry helps him communicate with patients better By Jeffrey Brown, Anne Azzi Davenport As a part of our Arts and Culture series, CANVAS, Jeffrey Brown takes a look at the intersection of the alchemy of health and art with his profile of Fady Joudah, the physician-poet — or perhaps poet-physician. Continue watching
Mar 02 Watch 2:46 Poet Tess Taylor on how verse can provide solace For many, it's a time of uncertainty and isolation. But in poet Tess Taylor's humble opinion, turning to verse can provide solace. Her recent book of poems is "Rift Zone," and the following essay is part of our arts and… Continue watching
Feb 07 WATCH: Amanda Gorman, in a first, brings poetry to Super Bowl By Jake Coyle, Associated Press Amanda Gorman, the 22-year-old poet who stirred America at the inauguration of President Joseph Biden last month, again commanded the spotlight on one of the country’s biggest stages, the Super Bowl. Continue reading
Jan 21 Amanda Gorman’s poetic answer to pandemic grief: ‘Do not ignore the pain’ By Joshua Barajas When Amanda Gorman wrote her poem, “The Miracle of Morning,” it was early on in the coronavirus pandemic. Even then, she wanted to acknowledge the promise of healing, like the light of morning, that springs from despair. Continue reading