Photograph of the Poetry Foundation Library in Chicago courtesy of Alanscottwalker under CC BY-SA 3.0 license
“The books [i.e., poetry collections] may not sell, but neither are they given away or thrown away. They tend, more than other books, to fall apart in their owners’ hands. Not I suppose good news in a culture and economy built on obsolescence. But for a book to be loved this way and turned to this way for consolation and intense renewable excitement seems to me a marvel.” Louise Glück
The Poetry Foundation, publisher of Poetry magazine, announced this week that “the health and wellbeing of our community, visitors, and staff remain paramount. We continue to support the City of Chicago’s efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus), and so our building will remain closed to the public until further notice . . .”
Special Programs in Virtual Space
For the Time of COVID-19
Accessible from anywhere in the world . . .
“. . . we are offering several programs in virtual spaces. We invite you to explore our new virtual reading series Poetry Off the Stage, interactive writing workshops, and monthly Library Book Club.
Your donation HERE helps to fund the ongoing mission of The Poet by Day in support of poets and writers, freedom of artistic expression, and human rights.
Poetry rocks the world!
FEEL THE BERN
For Peace, Sustainability, Social Justice
Maintain the movement.
“Democracy is not a spectator sport.” Bernie Sanders
“Every pair of eyes facing you has probably experienced something you could not endure.” Lucille Clifton
Thank you for sharing your love of words. Comments will appear after moderation.
“At last came the golden month of the wild folk– honey-sweet May, when the birds come back, and the flowers come out, and the air is full of the sunrise scents and songs of the dawning year.” Samuel Scoville Jr.,Wild Folk
May and the Poets
There is May in books forever;
May will part from Spenser never;
May’s in Milton, May’s in Prior,
May’s in Chaucer, Thomson, Dyer;
May’s in all the Italian books:
She has old and modern nooks,
Where she sleeps with nymphs and elves,
In happy places they call shelves,
And will rise and dress your rooms
With a drapery thick with blooms.
Come, ye rains, then if ye will,
May’s at home, and with me still;
But come rather, thou, good weather,
And find us in the fields together.
No hay pajaros en los nidos de antano. Spanish Proverb
The sun is bright,–the air is clear,
The darting swallows soar and sing.
And from the stately elms I hear
The bluebird prophesying Spring.
So blue yon winding river flows,
It seems an outlet from the sky,
Where waiting till the west-wind blows,
The freighted clouds at anchor lie.
All things are new;–the buds, the leaves,
That gild the elm-tree’s nodding crest,
And even the nest beneath the eaves;–
There are no birds in last year’s nest!
All things rejoice in youth and love,
The fulness of their first delight!
And learn from the soft heavens above
The melting tenderness of night.
Maiden, that read’st this simple rhyme,
Enjoy thy youth, it will not stay;
Enjoy the fragrance of thy prime,
For oh, it is not always May!
Enjoy the Spring of Love and Youth,
To some good angel leave the rest;
For Time will teach thee soon the truth,
There are no birds in last year’s nest!
Here’s your chance to go to a Poetry Reading even during the COVID-19 shutdown. Something fun to do on Sunday. This has been a regular weekly event for years . . .
Angora Poets World Caffé
Copyright Angora Poets World Caffé
Zoom (link HERE) at 8 p.m. Paris time. Angora world caffé meets via Zoom, hosting participants from the four corners of the planet. Presentations in all languages including English, French, Arabic, Spanish – your language welcome.
According to Moe Seager, “Angora Poets has been meeting every Sunday for three years. Similar to The BeZine I include proven poets – young and old, published and not – who show a craftwork.” For more info and to connect with Moe, link HERE.
Your donation HERE helps to fund the ongoing mission of The Poet by Day in support of poets and writers, freedom of artistic expression, and human rights.
Poetry rocks the world!
FEEL THE BERN
For Peace, Sustainability, Social Justice
Maintain the movement.
“Democracy is not a spectator sport.” Bernie Sanders
“Every pair of eyes facing you has probably experienced something you could not endure.” Lucille Clifton
Thank you for sharing your love of words. Comments will appear after moderation.
“some moments are nice, some are nicer, some are even worth writing about.” Charles Bukowski, War All the Time
Poetry Foundation, publisher of Poetry, announced this week that its core mission, in direct support of poets, is to remain committed to its programs that serve as an important source of financial support for poets, writers, and artists through contributor fees, honoraria, award prizes, and commissions.
“The poetry and publishing communities are facing unprecedented challenges due to COVID-19, and while we are uniquely positioned, we are still no exception. The economic downturn is causing a significant immediate impact and unknown long-term impact to the value of our endowment, our primary source of revenue to support publishing Poetry magazine and the organization’s mission and programs into perpetuity.
“Despite the financial pressures, we are maintaining our programs, staff, and doing what we are able, which includes focusing our support close to home through the Arts for Illinois Relief Fund. While we are not able to make new commitments at this time, we will continue to assess the impact, and community needs on balance with our mission.”
Angora Poets World Caffé
Copyright Angora Poets World Caffé
Zoom (link HERE) at 8 p.m. Paris time. Angora world caffé meets via Zoom, hosting participants from the four corners of the planet. Presentations in all languages including English, French, Arabic, Spanish – your language welcome.
According to Moe Seager, “Angora Poets has been meeting every Sunday for three years. Similar to The BeZine I include proven poets – young and old, published and not – who show a craftwork.” For more info and to connect with Moe, link HERE.
Your donation HERE helps to fund the ongoing mission of The Poet by Day in support of poets and writers, freedom of artistic expression, and human rights.
Poetry rocks the world!
FEEL THE BERN
For Peace, Sustainability, Social Justice
Maintain the movement.
“Democracy is not a spectator sport.” Bernie Sanders
“Every pair of eyes facing you has probably experienced something you could not endure.” Lucille Clifton
Thank you for sharing your love of words. Comments will appear after moderation.
“Like déjà vu, poetry intimates that the past is never quite over and done with.” Matthew Brevis, Poetry, March 2020 issue
ANGORA POETS WORLD CAFFÉ, VIRTUAL POETRY READING
SUNDAY, April 19, 2020 at 8 p.m. -11 p.m. UTC+2
An Invitation
Copyright Angora Poets World Caffé
Angora Poets Sunday April 19 at 20h – 8 p.m; Paris time. Join Zoom Meeting // Poets, Prose, Spoken Word, Performance Artists. All languages welcome. Connect on Facebook HERE for more details.
“When I say All Languages welcome: our poets present in English, French, Spanish, Arabic, Russian, Italian. We are truly a world caffé.” Moe Seager
Your donation HERE helps to fund the ongoing mission of The Poet by Day in support of poets and writers, freedom of artistic expression, and human rights.
Poetry rocks the world!
FEEL THE BERN
For Peace, Sustainability, Social Justice
Maintain the movement.
“Democracy is not a spectator sport.” Bernie Sanders
“Every pair of eyes facing you has probably experienced something you could not endure.” Lucille Clifton
Thank you for sharing your love of words. Comments will appear after moderation.