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 the Lenore Marshall Award, several Pushcart Prizes, a PEN Award for Poetry in Translation, as well as honors from the National Endowment for the Arts,… 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 important than politics or history. Šalamun has taught at the Universities of Alabama, Georgia, Massachusetts, and Tennessee, as well as at the… 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 for the prestigious Yale Younger Poets Series. From 1995 to 1997, Hass served two terms as Poet Laureate of the United States. As part of this post,… 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"), which showcased the new literary movement in Mexico. In 1945, he went to France as a diplomat and wrote a seminal work examining Mexican identity… 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 Preparedness and take a look at the Central Library's collection of retro Civil Defense pamphlets. 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 from duty, he taught at Bennington College, and later at Columbia, Yale, Princeton, Rutgers, and the University of Washington. Kunitz’s first… 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 decided to feature Mr. Yeats as Poet of the Week. Yeats is considered to be one of the most important literary figures of the 20 th century. He was… 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 United States Army, and in 1966 he completed his bachelor's degree at New York University, having worked nights to cover the cost of his tuition.… 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 poetry: Overlord (2005); Never (2002); Swarm (2000); The Errancy (1997); The Dream of the Unified Field: Selected Poems 1974-1994; Materialism (1993);… continue reading Poet of the Week | Jorie Graham
By written by Administrator May 10, 2007
To raise money for Vienna's main public library, city officials have resorted to hawking what sells best . continue reading A New Take on Fundraising
By written by Administrator May 9, 2007 2
John Ashbery has written more than twenty books of poetry and won nearly every major American prize for poetry, including a Pulitzer Prize, a National Book Critics Circle Award, and a National Book Award. His most recent publication, A Worldly Country , was published this year. Ashbery is currently the Charles P. Stevenson, Jr., Professor of… continue reading Poet of the Week | John Ashbery
By written by Administrator May 4, 2007 1
May Swenson was born the eldest of ten children in a Swedish-speaking Mormon household in Utah in 1919. She received a bachelor's degree in 1939 from Utah State University and went on to teach poetry at Bryn Mawr, the University of North Carolina, the University of California at Riverside, Purdue University, and Utah State University. Her… continue reading Poet of the Week | May Swenson
By written by Administrator April 27, 2007
Rainer Maria Rilke was born in Prague in 1875. He had an unhappy childhood, forced to attend a military academy by his parents who wanted him to become an officer. An uncle recognized Rilke's intellectual gifts and helped him leave the academy and attend a preparatory school. He arrived at Charles University in Prague in 1895 already an… continue reading Poet of the Week | Rainer Maria Rilke
By written by Administrator April 20, 2007
Emily Dickinson is considered to be one of the greatest American poets, specifically of the 19th century. Many facts are known about her life, but nuances continue to be shrouded in mystery. She was born in 1830 to a successful family that provided her with an excellent founding education. She completed one year at the Mount Holyoke Female… continue reading Poet of the Week | Emily Dickinson
By written by Administrator April 13, 2007
You may have noticed that we here at the Free Library Blog have a thing for poetry. In short, we're all about it. And for us, the fact that April is National Poetry Month sort of makes up for all of the rain and the impossibility of ever being able to dress appropriately for the weird weather. continue reading National Poetry Month
By written by Administrator April 2, 2007
Peter Meinke is a contemporary author who has penned fourteen books of poems and short stories, and received two National Endowment for the Arts Fellowships, the Flannery O'Connor Award, and a PEN Syndicated Fiction Award. His work has appeared in The New Yorker , Atlantic Monthl y, and The New Republic . Meinke directed the Eckerd… continue reading Poet of the Week--Peter Meinke
By written by Administrator March 30, 2007
Paul Celan (born Paul Antesche) was born in Romania in 1920. He was raised in a Jewish family speaking Romanian, French, and Russian. When World War II began, his family was deported to the Nazi labor camps where they perished. Celan himself was imprisoned as well, but eventually escaped and joined the Red Army. At the end of the war, he moved… continue reading Poet of the Week--Paul Celan
By written by Administrator March 22, 2007
Jonathan Lethem will read at the Central Library tomorrow, March 22, at 7:00 p.m. for FREE. His latest work is called You Don’t Love Me Yet , a comic novel set in Los Angeles. He took a few moments to chat with the Free Library Blog and answer our most pressing questions. 1. What role have libraries played in your life? "The… continue reading Take Five with....Jonathan Lethem
By written by Administrator March 21, 2007
James Wright was born in 1927 in Ohio to a family mired in poverty. He joined the army after school and was stationed in Japan. After his service, he went to Kenyon College on the G.I. Bill, and was taught by the poet John Crow Ransom. Wright earned both his master’s and doctorate degrees at the University of Washington, studying under… continue reading Poet of the Week--James Wright
By written by Administrator March 16, 2007
Colum McCann will read with John Banville tomorrow night (March 13) at the Central Library at 7:00 p.m. for FREE. His most recent work, Dancer , is a fictional biography that has received much critical acclaim. Mr. McCann took a few moments to speak with the Free Library Blog and answer our most pressing questions. 1. What role have libraries… continue reading Take Five with....Colum McCann
By written by Administrator March 12, 2007
