Posts by Administrator (239)
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It seems that Augusten Burroughs may have taken some liberties in his characterization of the Turcotte family (aka "the Finches") in his wildly popular Running with Scissors: A Memoir . But… continue reading It's Not a Memoir, It's a Book
By written by Administrator September 24, 2007 2
William Stafford was born in Kansas in 1914. He attended the Universities of Kansas and Iowa. He was a conscientious objector during World War II and worked in the alternative service camps. He… continue reading Poet of the Week | William Stafford
By written by Administrator September 13, 2007
Natasha Trethewey was born in 1966 in Gulfport, Mississippi. She earned an M.A. in English and creative writing from Hollins University, and an M.F.A. in poetry from the University of… continue reading Poet of the Week | Natasha Trethewey
By written by Administrator September 6, 2007
Walt Whitman, one of the most famous American poets in the canon, was born in 1819. When he was 12, he started training to be a printer, which prompted him to read the works of Homer, Dante, and… continue reading Poet of the Week | Walt Whitman
By written by Administrator August 31, 2007
Jack Agüeros was born in Harlem in 1934. He became a community activist and writer, concentrating on issues surrounding immigration, specifically identifying and exploring the Puerto Rican… continue reading Poet of the Week | Jack Agüeros
By written by Administrator August 23, 2007
Robert Penn Warren was born in Kentucky in 1905 and became the youngest member of a group of southern poets called the Fugitives. Warren’s poetry appeared in the group’s magazine, the… continue reading Poet of the Week | Robert Penn Warren
By written by Administrator August 17, 2007
Martín Espada was born in Brooklyn in 1957. His father, a leader in the Puerto Rican community, introduced the poet to political activism at a young age. After receiving a B.A. in history… continue reading Poet of the Week | Martín Espada
By written by Administrator August 9, 2007
Anne Sexton was born Anne Gray Harvey in Newton, Massachusetts in 1928. She married Alfred Muller Sexton II when she was 19. In 1953, she had a daughter. The following year she was diagnosed with… continue reading Poet of the Week | Anne Sexton
By written by Administrator August 2, 2007 1
Edward Estlin Cummings, aka E.E. Cummings, was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1894. While at Harvard, he published his first work in 1917 in the anthology Eight Harvard Poets . He volunteered… continue reading Poet of the Week | E.E. Cummings
By written by Administrator July 19, 2007
Robert Hayden was born Asa Bundy Sheffey in 1913. His parents separated when he was young, and his mother gave him to her next-door neighbors, William and Sue Ellen Hayden, to raise. Hayden… continue reading Poet of the Week | Robert Hayden
By written by Administrator July 12, 2007
Sylvia Plath, one of the most important poets of the 20th century, was born in Massachusetts in 1932. She began publishing poetry at an early age and attended Smith College, where she wrote 400… continue reading Poet of the Week | Sylvia Plath
By written by Administrator July 6, 2007
Eamon Grennan was born in Dublin in 1941; however, he has lived in the United States for over thirty years and has taught at Vassar College since 1974. Grennan has won numerous awards--among them… continue reading Poet of the Week | Eamon Grennan
By written by Administrator June 28, 2007
Tomaž Šalamun was born in Croatia in 1941 and grew up in Slovenia. He is considered to be one of the great postwar Central European poets, believing poetry to be as important or more… continue reading Poet of the Week | Tomaž Šalamun
By written by Administrator June 21, 2007
Robert Hass grew up in San Francisco and was a huge fan of the 1950s Bay Area poets, among them Gary Snyder and Allen Ginsburg. In 1973, Hass' book Field Guide was selected by Stanley Kunitz… continue reading Poet of the Week | Robert Hass
By written by Administrator June 15, 2007
Octavio Paz Lozano was born in Mexico City in 1914. His father was a journalist involved in Emiliano Zapata's uprisings. In 1938, he helped found the magazine Taller ("Workshop"),… continue reading Poet of the Week | Octavio Paz
By written by Administrator June 7, 2007
This post-9/11 era isn't the only time in U.S. history when our nation has been preoccupied with thoughts of potential disasters. Check out the Free Library's new Explore topic on Emergency… continue reading Duck and Cover!
By written by Administrator June 6, 2007
Stanley Kunitz was born in Massachusetts in 1905. He attended Harvard University, eventually serving during World War II when his conscientious objector status was denied. After returning… continue reading Poet of the Week | Stanley Kunitz
By written by Administrator June 1, 2007
W.B. Yeat's "The Second Coming" was featured prominently in this past Sunday's episode of The Sopranos . Because it is so rare for a poem to appear on pop culture's radar, we… continue reading Poet of the Week | W.B. Yeats
By written by Administrator May 24, 2007 1
Charles Simic was born in Yugoslavia in 1938 and emigrated with his family to the United States in 1958. He published his first poems in 1959, at the age of 21. In 1961 he was drafted into the… continue reading Poet of the Week | Charles Simic
By written by Administrator May 18, 2007
Jorie Graham is one of the most important contemporary poets writing today. Her youth was spent trotting the globe with her journalist father and sculptor mother. She has penned many books of… continue reading Poet of the Week | Jorie Graham
By written by Administrator May 10, 2007