A look at the institutions built and friendships forged by Elizabeth Kray, who shaped the landscape of American poetry from the middle of the 20th century to the present day.
…Housekeeping
Recent Articles
A Propulsive Thread
With three visual arts examples and a writing prompt, poet Asiya Wadud paves the way to creating stillness and propulsion in poetry.
Transforming Nature with James Schuyler
Carl Phillips explores James Schuyler’s poem “The Bluet,” revealing “a thanksgiving of sorts, for friendship itself, for human company.”
Writing and Teaching in a Time of Crisis: Lessons from June Jordan
Inspired by June Jordan, Donna Masini calls for the integration of writing with activism, personal life, and the “moral imagination.”
Charles Waters: Rising Star of Children’s Poetry
Children’s poet and actor Charles Waters on teaching, messing up, and his award-winning book Can I Touch Your Hair?.
Transforming Nature with John Clare
Carl Phillips examines how a poem by John Clare conveys “sensitivity to wilderness and the human ability to reason about it.”
Quiz: Medicinal Herb or Literary Magazine?
Do you know your Sow’s Ear from your Lady’s Mantle? Quiz yourself on lit mags that belong on a witch’s shopping list.
Transforming Nature with Charlotte Smith
Carl Phillips looks at a 1797 sonnet by Charlotte Smith that explores the desire to escape “a civilization of reason’s making.”
House Picks
Epic Voices
Eleven fall programs explore the epic form from ancient to contemporary.
A Walking Tour of the Poets House Library
An introduction to the many types of poetic material in the Poets House library, including chapbooks, anthologies, special collections, and more.
Featured Event
Dec
11
Elizabeth "Betty" Kray
Bettissima: Treasures from the Elizabeth Kray Archive
Over 100 of Poets House co-founder Elizabeth Kray’s letters to and from acclaimed poets, including Elizabeth Bishop, E. E. Cummings, June Jordan, Denise Levertov, Clarence Major, Adrienne Rich, and more.
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