As a student and young reader, I am often inundated with syllabi and must-read lists that beat me over the head with the “essentials.” One can only be told to read Twain, Austen, Faulkner, Dickens, and Hemingway so many times …
Category: Authors and Poets
5 Contemporary Poets to Teach in the High School Classroom
Poetry selections in high school are too often limited to a hallowed few—Shakespeare and Petrarch, Whitman and Dickinson, Langston Hughes, Sylvia Plath, and perhaps Billy Collins—if poetry is included at all. While these canonized favorites can enhance any unit of …
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Remembering W. S. Merwin
The poet W. S. Merwin passed away on March 15, marking the conclusion to a long and richly productive life. His body of poetry proves difficult to sum up. Over the course of his seven decades of writing, Merwin changed …
Remembering Mary Oliver
The beloved American poet Mary Oliver (1935–2019) died today, leaving behind a rich and vast body of literary work. Oliver was arguably the most popular poet of her generation, best known for her poems of the natural world. Her style …
eNotes’ Great American Read Staff Picks
If you’re not up-to-date on current happenings in the literary world, then you should definitely be in the know about PBS’s The Great American Read. This eight-part television series “explores and celebrates the power of reading.” At the end of …
8 Summer Vacation Destinations for Book Lovers
School is out and so is the sun! Summer is finally here, and it’s time to start plotting a travel itinerary for your coveted vacation time. If you’re a bookworm eager to tackle your summer reading list, why not also …
19 Insta-Poets You Need to Know
It’s official: we’re living in the “age of the Insta-poet.” The “Insta-poet” is defined as a young poet who publishes verse primarily on social media. With social media’s dominance in our ever-evolving digital world, it’s not surprising to hear that Instagram, …
12 Female Poets Who’ve Shaped Poetry
It’s important to highlight the extraordinary influence female poets have had on our literary culture. Early codes of feminine behavior did not encourage women to express their personal passions, desires, and reflections through writing. Though women have written poetry for …
