POETRY PAGE
General Poetry Sources
- The Academy of American Poets includes information about awards and programs, forums and resources for National Poetry Month (April), poetry events and exhibits. Includes Webpages for poets, and links to soundfiles with the poets reading their own poems. Also provides links to other literary resources. Listen to poems read by the authorat the Audio page.
- Bartleby collection of poetry ("verse") online.
- BBC Poetry Out Loud - great site with audio-video of poets reading poems also written out on the page.
- Fooling with Words, with Bill Moyers
- Gutenberg Online texts.
- The Internet Poetry Archive, sponsored by the University of North Carolina Press and the North Carolina Arts Council--at <http://metalab.unc.edu/ipa/index.html>--provides images and links to the following poets: Czeslaw Milosz, Seamus Heaney, Philip Levine, Robert Pinsky, Margaret Walker, and Yusef Komunyaka. According to the Archive creators:
The goal of the project is to make poetry accessible to new audiences (at little or no cost) and to give teachers and students of poetry new ways of presenting and studying these poets and their texts. . . . Using the newest capabilities of the Internet to present sound and graphics as well as text, the archive entry for each poet comprises audio clips of the poet reading several poems, the poet's comments on the works, a photograph of the poet and any other graphics that would help a reader understand the poem (e.g., a map or illustration of a particular place mentioned in the poem), texts of the poems, a critical biography of the poet prepared by a scholar familiar with the poet's work, and a short bibliography. Poems are presented in their original languages, as well as in English translation. . . . Because the archive takes advantage of the latest technology for presenting multimedia resources over the Internet, it will attract an audience that includes not only humanists, poetry lovers, and students but also the wide variety of people interested in the new and creative ways in which this new medium is being used. For many, this will likely be their first introduction to the works of these poets.
- Harper Audio, selected poets.
- Men's Web Poetic voices - Audio - more poetry
- Modern American Poetry at the University of Illinois, Urbana - online journal and multimedia companion to anthology
- Nobel Prizes in Literature for poets.
- Penn Sound - archive of poets reading and in interviews
- People's Poetry Gathering
- Perspectives in American Literature - a research and reference guide by Dr. Paul Reuben, CSU, Stanislaus
- Poet Laureates. United States. California.
- Poetry Archive. Collection of poets reading their work - searchable.
- Poetry Foundation, includes selected poets and several ways of finding poems by topic, also includes audio
- Poetry Map - check out poetry in your state (from the Academy of American Poets)
- Poetry Out Loud, an NEW project (National Endowment for the Arts)
- Poetry Photo Archive - look through these UPenn records by name of poet, and pull up photographs of the poet
- Poetry Society of America, including Crossroads (poetry journal) and list of poets winning Pulitzer Prize for Poetry. Good list of poetry resources.
- Pulitzer Prizes for Poetry-list of winners.
- Representative Poetry Online, a University of Toronto project - poet and poem index as well as search tools, including a concordance!
- The State University of New York at Buffalo's Electronic Poetry Center collection of "Sites with Literary Audio" at <http://wings.buffalo.edu/epc/sound/links.html> invites you to listen to a variety of poets, including Lawrence Ferlinghetti reading his "Baseball Canto."
- Voice of the Shuttle - major literature resource listing. Click here for Poetry Studies.
- Voices and Visions - information with poems and audio and links on selected poets
- Wired for Books - poets and writers of other genres as well read or are read aloud
Specific Poets and Poems
- Alexie, Sherman. Official Alexie site. Slam site with Alexie's performance, audio. Academy of American Poets site. "Grief Calls Us to the Things of this World"
- Atwood, Margaret. Margaret Atwood's Official Website (contains link to Literature for Life, dedicated to helping young mothers). Atwood at Limunarium. Margaret Atwood Society. Atwood reads "You Begin" - hear and read.
- Beowulf Sound Bites? Take a nip from Grendel at Professor Peter Baker's Beowulf and Old English Site at the University of Virginia: <http://www.engl.virginia.edu/OE/index.html>
- Berry, Wendell. Mr. Wendell Berry of Kentucky. Berry's essays on local economy and conservation, on the need for a peaceable economy and society.
- Bishop, Elizabeth. 1956 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry. Academy of American Poets site. Poetry Foundation. Voices and Visions, including audio-video of "One Art." Vassar Website for Bishop.
- Boland, Eavan. Academy of American Poets site, includes an interview on where poetry begins. Another interview on her poetry.
- Brooks, Gwendolyn. Academy of American Poets site. Modern American Poetry site. "Lovers of the Poor." Brooks reads "We Real Cool" - talks about why she wrote it, then reads it, and you can read it on the page while you listen to her voice. More information about Gwendolyn Brooks, plus several of her poems at the Poetry Foundation.
- Clifton, Lucille. Voices from the Gaps on Clifton. BOA Publications. Announcement of Lucille Clifton winning 2007 Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize (includes many poems, including "Homage to my Hips" on her list of favorites - and here's Clifton reading her poem). Video of Clifton at Open Vault on why she became a writer - video introducing and reading the poem "Turning," on learning and becoming your real self.
- Dante. Robert Pinsky reads excerpts from Dante's Inferno at http://www.theatlantic.com/unbound/aandc/dante/rplist.htm
- Forche, Carolyn.
- Ginsberg, Allen. Audio - Allen Ginsberg reads "Howl" - in print "Howl" parts 1 and 2.
- Harjo, Joy. Floren's Harjo site. Voices at the Gaps site. "Reconciliation: A Prayer."
- Heaney, Seamus. Nobel Prize for Literature for Seamus Heaney in 1995 - Nobel Acceptance Speech - links to biography, bibliography, poems, an essay on his poetry, and other links. Academy of American Poets site. Poems. BBC interviews - audio. Videostream poem - MIT reading.
- Jarrell, Randall. Academy of American Poets site. Modern American Poetry site, includes interpretations of "Death of the Ball Turret Gunner" - and some online poems - here's a site with the poem and photos of aircraft with the ball turret - hear Jarrell read his poem. Essay on Jarrell's poetry.
- Kinnell, Galway. Academy of American Poets site, includes reading of his poem, "After Making Love, We Hear Footsteps." Modern American Poetry site. University of Illinois site - short piece on how he came to write poetry, and the poem "Telephoning in Mexican Sunlight." Video with Kinnell on his poem "Wait."
- Levertov, Denise. Poems at Neon Alley.
- Merwin, W. S. William S. Merwin's page at the Steven Barcley Agency. Audio- Merwin in Conversation - Lannan Biography - 2004 Lannan Lifetime Achievement Prize . Podcast of W. S. Merwin's Birthday Celebration - he reads "The Child"
- Millay, Edna St. Vincent. Modern American Poetry site, with online poems.
- Oliver, Mary. Academy of American Poets site. Modern American Poetry site. Poetry Foundation site, with article about Oliver's nature poetry (she's the "nature queen")
- Owen, Wilfred. Wilfred Owen Association. Wilfred Owen Multimedia - war poems. Owen - WWI poetry site. Commonwealth War Graves Commission facts on Owen's military service and death, at age 25, in the war. One of the greatest of all war poems: Owens' "Dulce et Decorum Est"
- Piercy, Marge.
- Rich, Adrienne. Academy of American Poets site. Modern American Poetry site. American Poems site. Audio interview. More Audio of Rich reading her poems. An Essay: "In Dark Times, Why We Need Poetry More Than Ever."
- Roethke, Theodore. Biography at Washington State History site. Modern American Poetry site, with poems and commentaries. More poems online. Audio of Roethke reading "My Papa's Waltz" at the Academy of American Poets, and an article on his writing and revision of this poem.. Roethke Memorial Poetry Readings, includes more links to poems and audio.
- Sarton, May. A Tribute to May Sarton, with poems.
- Snyder, Gary. An audio interview on his passion for nature and life. Poems, etc., at Neon Alley.
- Stafford, William. Friends of William Stafford - with video links. Stafford Archives. A Tribute in Poetry to William Stafford, plus poems by Stafford.
- Thomas, Dylan. Official Dylan Thomas Website. BBC/Wales Website for Dylan Thomas. BBC Interview: Remembering Childhood.
- Walcott, Derek. Nobel Prize in Literature for Derek Walcott, 1992. Academy American Poets site. BBC Interview (audio).
- Wilbur, Richard. Video of Richard Wilbur on his life, and reading of his poetry, including "Love Brings Us to the Things of this World."
- Yeats, William Butler. Yeats Discography page includes links to audio online. This very cool site includes samples of performances of William Butler Yeats' poems. Some of the links are not live now.
Literary Foundations Supporting Poets
- Lannon: "Lannan Foundation is a family foundation dedicated to cultural freedom, diversity and creativity through projects which support exceptional contemporary artists and writers, as well as inspired Native activists in rural indigenous communities. // The foundation recognizes the profound and often unquantifiable value of the creative process and is willing to take risks and make substantial investments in ambitious and experimental thinking. Understanding that globalization threatens all cultures and ecosystems, the foundation is particularly interested in projects that encourage freedom of inquiry, imagination, and expression." site includes large audio archive of poets reading their poetry, as well as interviews with writers and artists.
- National Book Foundation, home of the National Book Award.
- PEN American Center, includes World Voices Audio Archive (e.g., writers and the environment).
Poetry Journals and Magazines. American Poetry Journal | American Poetry Review | The Literary Review | Paris Review | Ploughshares | Poets & Writers | Words without Borders (online magazine for international literature) |
Poetry and Music
LYRICS,
MUSIC, SONGS
Pro-Peace Songs
Sites and Lyrics ||
War and Peace Poetry and Song ||
Music Videos (war and peace)
Pro-Peace Song Sites, Lyrics, and Singers
- Anti-War Songs from à la Carte. "Anti war related, mostly English language songs from many protest music genres, most with clips, covers, albums, writers and links to lyrics and/or audio downloads. Songs newly written or remixed for the 2003 attack on Iraq as well as timeless classics are among this comprehensive, yet growing, list. All of these should serve us well for the promised "war that will not end in our lifetimes" or at least until the next election." Legal downloads and lyrics.
- Anti-War Songs from ZNet. Includes list of songs and lyrics.
- Better World Songs. Songs for peace.
- Freedom Song Network. "Affirms through songs and music the right of all peoples, at home and abroad, to establish more free, just, and equal societies and live in peace. A multiracial, multicultural, intergenerational group of all sexual orientations that will sing anywhere, from picket lines and demonstrations to songswaps and concert stages. Hosts irregular songswaps (about every other month) at 885 Clayton (between Carl and Parnassus) in San Francisco. Call or write to get on the mailing list."
- Friendship Village: Songs of Peace, Protest, Struggle, and Freedom.
- Ian Rhett. "Didn't Know I Was (Un)American" (hear this song)
- New Songs for Peace. "This UNESCO-endorsed project is intended to encourage people to think about peace, talk about peace, and write a new song that we will collect and self-publish in a book. These songs will promote peace, cultural acceptance and understanding for those who work towards peace throughout the world. / / In November 1998, the General Assembly of the United Nations proclaimed 2001-2010 the International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-violence for the Children of the World (resolution 53/25). / / The Assembly has, in turn, called upon non-governmental organizations (NGOs), religious bodies, educational institutions, artists and the media for their support. Its aim is to introduce the thought of peace, foment discussion as well as encourage poetry and songwriting and therein touch the lives of every child in the world. / / With individual advocates such as UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and the support of global organizations like UNESCO, New Songs For Peace will make its contribution to peace through the musical expression of international artists." Download free music.
- Peace Not War Jukebox. "The Peace Jukebox features anti-war songs by Sonic Youth, Beastie Boys, Jurassic 5, Public Enemy, Jane's Addiction, The Cure, Ani DiFranco, Black Eyed Peas, Green Day, Faithless, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Lenny Kravitz, Paris, System of a Down, Propagandhi, Banco de Gaia, Zach de la Rocha, Noam Chomsky... hiphop, rock, punk, acoustic, classical and spoken word. . . . This is the most prolific period of protest song-writing in history, and home-studio technology makes it possible for the world to hear these radical songs." The site also contains videos, like "Fallujah--the Hidden Message" on the withholding and media distortion of information about war that keeps people ignorant of the promise of peace.
- Peace Songs. Benefit album to benefit children affected by war.
- People's Music Network for Songs of Freedom and Struggle
- U.S. Civil War: Civil War Poetry and Music | Patriotic Civil War Songs
- Other 19th-early 20th Century: Mark Twain's "The War Prayer"
- World War I: Introduction to First World War Poetry | Sonnets of World War I | Wilfred Owen, War Poet
- World War II: World War II Poetry | World War II Songs
- Vietnam War: Songs of Americans in the Vietnam War
- Other mid 20th-21st century: Poets against the War | Public Enemy's " Black Steel In The Hour Of Chaos" | Phil Ochs' "I Ain't A Marchin' Anymore" | Elvis Costello's "Shipbuilding"
Samples of Songs from Specific Wars:
- Revolutionary War "Yankee Doodle"
- Civil War "Battle Hymn of the Republic" | "Dixie War Song"| "Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!" | "John Brown's Body" | "When Johnny Comes Marching Home"
- War of 1812 "Star Spangled Banner"
- World War I "America" ("My Country 'Tis of Thee") | "Over There" | "The Old Grey Mare" | "Hail!Hail! The Gangs All Here"
- World War II "God Bless America" | "We'll Meet Again" | "The White Cliffs of Dover"
- Vietnam War "Ballad of the Green Berets" | "Born in the USA" | "The End" | "For What It's Worth" | "Fortunate Son" | "Give Peace a Chance" | "I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin-to-Die Rag" |"Imagine" | "Star Spangled Banner" (Jimmy Hendrix Guitar Rendition) | "The Times They Are A 'Changin'" | "Waist Deep in the Big Muddy" | "War-What Is It Good For?" | "We Gotta Get Out of This Place" | "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?" |
- U.S. Invasion of Iraq: "Whatever Happened to Peace on Earth" (Willie Nelson) | "The Final Straw" (REM) | "In a World Gone Mad"(The Beastie Boys) | Tribute to the Soldier (Shawn Hlookoff)