Since I live in the southern part of New Hampshire, my NPR station of choice is WBUR in Boston. Last week, novelist Anita Diamant wrote a great opinion piece for WBUR's online feature, "Cognoscenti: Thinking that Matters." One of the memorable quotes from the piece is this, "I found a different voice but will always turn to poetry in order to slow down, drink deep and word up."
In "Poetry in Motion: The Classic Form Isn't Dead, It's Evolving," Diamant talks about how the inaugural poet is a fairly recent, and inconsistently included, feature of presidential inaugurations. Diamant also speaks of Richard Blanco, the young poet who read his poem, "One Today," last week.
Here's an interview with Blanco from PBS:
"In a word, unity." Great word, Mr. Blanco!
"I was doing it for me." Great reason to write, too!
The extension of the interview in which Blanco reads a poem about the Miss America pageant is here:
I smiled through the whole poem! I think Richard Blanco is a poet I'll need to read more of!
Diamant mentioned that she subscribes to "Poem-A-Day," a daily email service from the Academy of American Poets. It's a great way to be introduced to poets old and new, you may want to subscribe, too.
Teaching Authors is hosting the Poetry Friday Round-Up this week.
Thanks for sharing this, Diane. I subscribe to Writers Almanac and American Life in Poetry, which is weekly, but I may have to add Poem-A-Day to my list.
ReplyDeleteLoved the Miss America poem, too!
ReplyDeleteI think many people can relate to the Miss America poem, Laura. In a time before the iPad, the internet, and cable, people all over the country sat with their families and shared common experiences like beauty pageants, space launches, etc.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy Blanco's poetry. Thanks for the interview links, Diane.
ReplyDeleteLoved the poem! I'd have to get my hands on his collection. Thanks for sharing, Diane!
ReplyDeleteRichard Blanco is a poet who really resonates with me - thanks so much for sharing these clips today - especially the Miss America poem. Fabulous! =)
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this! I hadn't heard of the Poem-A-Day email - will have to subscribe!
ReplyDeleteIt was such a joy to hear him recite his poem on Inaugural Day.
ReplyDeleteSadly, I checked NH's state online catalog and it looks like there are only 2 public libraries in the state that have a book by Blanco! I hope that's not right...
ReplyDeleteWith any luck, Blanco will release something new in the near future, and now that everyone has heard his name, he will start to appear on more NH shelves.
This is definitely a poet from whom I'll want to hear more!
ReplyDeleteHeading off now to "slow down, drink deep and word up"
:-)
Always a good plan!
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