Smuggling Elephants Through Airport Security Released from MSU Press

The fifth title from Wheelbarrow Books, Smuggling Elephants Through Airport Security by Brad Johnson, was released by the MSU Press on the first of January. “Smuggling Elephants Through Airport Security is a kaleidoscopic tour of the American moment,” writes judge Carolyn Forché, “as conducted by a poet unafraid of the vertiginous highs and lows of a

Poem of the Week: “New Year’s Day” by Kim Addonizio

Happy New Year! New Year’s Day The rain this morning falls   on the last of the snow and will wash it away. I can smell   the grass again, and the torn leaves being eased down into the mud.   The few loves I’ve been allowed to keep are still sleepingon the West Coast. Here in Virginia I walk across

Poem of the Week: “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening,” by Robert Frost

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening Whose woods these are I think I know.   His house is in the village though;   He will not see me stopping here   To watch his woods fill up with snow.    My little horse must think it queer   To stop without a farmhouse near   Between the woods and frozen lake   The darkest evening of the

Poem of the Week: “Wife” by Ada Limón

This week’s poem was chosen by Assistant to the Director, Estee Schlenner. “When I first read this poem it stayed with me for a long time after. The way Limón writes so honestly about marriage is admirable, and the ending is just stunning.” Wife I’m not yet comfortable with the word, its short clean woosh

Poem of the Week: “Gratitude” by Jon Davis

Founding Director of the Center for Poetry, Anita Skeen, chose this poem. “I came across this poem two days before Thanksgiving when I was thinking about all of the things I am grateful for. I loved it, which is not a critical response, but an emotional one.  And then I thought how grateful I am

Poem of the Week: “Winter” by Billy Collins

Assistant to the Director, Estee Schlenner, chose this week’s poem, here’s what she had to say: “I love this poem for its simplicity. Winter can feel very long, and sometimes lonely, but there’s also simple and cozy moments that make it feel very special. These moments are perfectly illustrated in this poem.” Winter A little

Poem of the Week: “This Morning I Pray for My Enemies” by Joy Harjo

November is National Native American Heritage Month, so we chose this poem by Joy Harjo, the first Native American United States Poet Laureate. Harjo is a member of the Mvskoke/Creek Nation. This Morning I Pray for My Enemies And whom do I call my enemy?An enemy must be worthy of engagement.I turn in the direction

Poem of the Week: “Driving,” by Jenny Linn Loveland

Acting director Laurie Hollinger on her choice for this week’s poem: “In observance of Veterans Day, I sought out poems by those who served. Here is a poem by Jenny Linn Loveland. Born in Tokyo, Japan, and raised in an Air Force family, Loveland grew up in Fairfield, CA near Travis Air Force Base. Commissioned

Poem of the Week: “Backfires” by Fleda Brown

Join us Wednesday, November 6 as Fleda Brown closes out our Fall Writing Series. Backfires The woods are on fire. The woods are seething and blistering. Matisse, stuck in his wheelchair, is scissoring shapes, directing his assistant to pin them to a board. Beethoven is solving musical problems inside the soundless chamber of his head.

Defining Commonality: A Handmade Dictionary

A review by RCAH Center for Poetry founding director Anita Skeen On Thursday evening, October 10, 2019, as I was on my way to teach in the annual Fall Writing Festival at Ghost Ranch in Abiquiu, NM, I stopped in Oklahoma City to visit with poet Jane Taylor, a longtime friend and fellow Ghost Ranch