poetry
This poetry detective tracks down word thieves. But are they all plagiarists?
Ira Lightman is a hero to some in the literary world, a villain to others.
Jennifer Kronovet studied Yiddish so she could communicate with the dead
Claudia Rankine’s 'Citizen' shows what racism really feels like
Best of 2016: Kurt’s Favorite Conversations
Marianne Moore's Odes to Animals
Marianne Moore loved learning about animals, and she crammed scientific detail into her poems.
American Icons: "Spoon River Anthology"
A landmark in American poetry, Edgar Lee Masters’ “Spoon River Anthology” shocked readers when it came out in 1915 by tackling subjects like suicide and sex.
Is Kobe Bryant's 'Dear Basketball' a Reimagining of Shakespeare's Final Soliloquy?
Kobe and Prospero, from "The Tempest," say goodbye to their powers in remarkably similar terms. Coincidence?
Best American Fakery
The inclusion of a white poet writing under a Chinese name in “Best American Poetry” set the internet ablaze. Jenny Zhang explains why so many people were so upset.
How a white Indiana poet used a Chinese pseudonym to get published
Recently, the poetry world became embroiled in a scandal when it was discovered that one of the selections for this year's Best of American Poetry, written by Yi-Fen Chou, was actually from a white guy named Michael Derrick Hudson who used the Yi-Fen Chou pen name.
A Cuban American poet sees a brighter future for dissident artists on the island
A Cuban American poet accompanying Secretary of State John Kerry tells dissident artists in Havana to "hang in there."
Mary Jo Bang: Time Is Almost Up
Mary Jo Bang has developed a reputation as a poet’s poet by facing the hardest truths about human beings. Maybe that’s why she had so much fun translating Dante’s “Inferno.”
Composing Poetry with Predictive Text
The iPhone's latest texting feature is inadvertently becoming an art form for the digital age.
American Icons: “Spoon River Anthology”
A landmark in American poetry, Edgar Lee Masters’ “Spoon River Anthology” shocked readers when it came out in 1915 by tackling subjects like suicide and sex.
Poet Terrance Hayes: Anything but Invisible
Terrance Hayes may be the only poet to win a MacArthur “genius” grant, a National Book Award, and a spot on "People’s" Sexiest Man Alive list.