Arts

A Sprinkle of Poetry in April

WNYC brings you today's acclaimed young poets to celebrate April as National Poetry Month

Listen to the sassy simile or profound praise found in some award-winning twenty-first century poems. Hear interviews with upcoming poets during broadcasts on Morning Edition, All Things Considered and newscasts throughout the day. For selections from twentieth-century poet icons reading their work, look for the Historic Moments poetry page in the Arts & Culture section.

Dr. Maya Angelou

April 23, 2008

Maya Angelou, the Grammy-nominated author, actor, teacher and activist, enjoys a lifetime position as the first Reynolds Professor of American Studies at Wake Forest University. She is only the secon....

Robert Frost

April 23, 2008

Frost began writing poetry while still a schoolboy in New England, where he stayed for college and most of his life. He published his first poem, "Butterfly" in 1894 and went on to win the Pulitzer P....

Carl Sandberg

April 22, 2008

Illinois-born Carl Sandberg was one of eight children in a Swedish immigrant family living in Galesville. Carl worked as a jack-of-all-trades after graduating from eighth grade. He delivered milk, l....

Baruch "Baba" Israel

April 22, 2008

Baruch “Baba” Israel has taken his Hip Hop performance across the USA, Europe, Japan, Brazil, New Zealand, S.E. Asia and Australia. He is an emcee, producer, poet, theater artist, and beatboxer.....

Dante Micheaux

April 15, 2008

Micheaux has taught poetry at the Frederick Douglas Creative Arts Center in New York and he has been a guest poet of the LouderArts Project, The Church of St. John the Divine, the Publishing Triangle....

Aracelis Girmay

April 15, 2008

Aracelis Girmay writes poetry, fiction, & essays. Her book of poems, Teeth, was published by Curbstone Press in June, 2007, for which she was awarded a Pan African Literary Forum Fellowship. Girmay'....

Shappy: Nerd-poet extraordinaire

April 11, 2008

Self-proclaimed nerd-poet Shappy (Jeff “Shappy” Seasholtz) recalls ugly moments of fourth-grade dodge ball that he overcame when he discovered the power of language. A stint as class president in....

Ellen Hagan

April 11, 2008

Hagan’s writing appears in a variety of journals and anthologies, including La Petite Zine, Monologues for Women by Women and Underwired Magazine. She has also been nominated for a Pushcart Pri....

Jean Valentine: New York State Poet Laureate

April 11, 2008

Valentine brings more than forty years of experience to the role of New York State Poet Laureate, an office she will hold until 2010. Her curious, intimate and dreamlike verse usually begins with a....

Taylor Mali

April 09, 2008

The New York City native spent almost a decade teaching everything from English to SAT prep before dedicating all his time to being a poet. Mali made it to the National Poetry Slam Finals seven times....

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