Dec 05 Watch 6:32 Mother and son who are both poet laureates work to inspire others By Jeffrey Brown, Anne Azzi Davenport, Alison Thoet Becoming a poet laureate is a coveted role and rare honor. Rarer still is having two laureates in the same family. Jeffrey Brown traveled to Philadelphia to meet with a poetic family and hear how a mother-son duo is working… Continue watching
Oct 29 Gerald Stern, prize-winning American poet, dies at 97 By Hillel Italie, Associated Press Gerald Stern, one of the country’s most loved and respected poets who wrote with spirited melancholy and earthly humor about his childhood, Judaism, mortality and the wonders of the contemplative life, has died. He was 97. Continue reading
Oct 14 Watch 7:48 Afghan poets find inspiration in exile, using art to channel their pain By Ali Rogin Poetry has a special place in the heart of Afghans. It has played a prominent role from the country's ancient history to its present day. But when the Taliban took over, many of Afghanistan’s most popular poets had to flee. Continue watching
Jul 27 Watch 6:03 Ada Limón on becoming the new U.S. poet laureate By Jeffrey Brown, Alison Thoet Ada Limón has been named the nation's new poet laureate. Jeffrey Brown recently met with Limón to learn more about her life’s path, one that includes backyard groundhogs, Kentucky bluegrass, pokeweed and plenty of poetry. It's part of our arts… Continue watching
May 04 Watch 3:42 Roxane Gay’s Brief But Spectacular take on effective ways of being heard By Melissa Williams Roxane Gay has used writing as a means to untangle and communicate her own trauma since childhood. Now a successful author, professor and mentor to many, she advises young women and aspiring writers on how to harness their voices. Gay… Continue watching
Apr 22 Watch 6:26 Margaret Renkl writes about the environment from her ‘blue dot’ hometown in red state By Jeffrey Brown, Anne Azzi Davenport Writer Margaret Renkl doesn’t have to travel far to appreciate nature. She basks in the nearby parks of her hometown Nashville to draw inspiration for her essays on the environment. Through a regular column in the New York Times, Renkl… Continue watching
Apr 18 Watch 6:16 Citizen poets share details of their pandemic lives in ‘Dear Vaccine’ By Jeffrey Brown, Anne Azzi Davenport, Alison Thoet A new poetry anthology called “Dear Vaccine: Global Voices Speak to the Pandemic” illuminates how people around the world have experienced COVID-19. Jeffrey Brown sits down with Naomi Shihab Nye, an author, editor and current Young People’s Poet Laureate, to… Continue watching
Mar 16 Watch 6:56 Poet Cornelius Eady on exploring the everyday lives of Black people in America By Jeffrey Brown, Anne Azzi Davenport The National Book Critics Circle is presenting the Black poetry group "Cave Canem” with the inaugural Toni Morrison Achievement Award, saying “no institution has played such a definitive role in shaping the poetry of the 21st century.” For our CANVAS… Continue watching
Mar 11 Watch 3:26 Kara Jackson’s Brief But Spectacular take on honoring her lineage By Melissa Williams Kara Jackson is known for being the 2019-2020 National Youth Poet Laureate from Oak Park, Illinois. But her art is not limited to one medium or one place. She writes poems but also essays and music that explore her family… Continue watching
Feb 23 Watch 4:06 A teacher’s Brief But Spectacular take on how spoken word poetry amplifies student voice By PBS NewsHour Peter Kahn has taught English and spoken word poetry to thousands of students at Chicago's Oak Park and River Forest High School since 1994. In collaboration with his current and former students, Kahn is releasing the anthology, "Respect the Mic:… Continue watching