Poetry blog

We keep you updated on the world of poetry with our news roundups.

Recent posts

Poetry Award Declined/Literary Prize Winner/Inspiring Poetry in Young people – Poetry News Roundup December 26th

 

In today's poetry news round-up we bring you articles about the winners of the Sahitya Akademi award for 2017 and the Glenna Luschei Literary Prize. We also have an article about a poets visit to a school to inspire the pupils with his poetry. Family of Late Poet Decline Award The winner of the Sahitya Akademi award for 2017 has been announced. The late ...

Mercy Otis Warren Poems

 

Mercy Otis Warren holds a unique place in the history of American politics and literature.  At a time when women did not publish written works under their own name she was a pioneering, fearless writer and political activist who became known as the "Conscience of the American Revolution".  Her patriotic and stirring articles and poems galvanised and influenced the country’s founding fathers at ...

Lemm Sissay/Seamus Heaney – Poetry News Roundup December 25th

 

In our Christmas Day poetry round up we bring you a couple of news articles with a Christmas theme We take a look at Lemm Sissay, the poet who organises Christmas dinner for around 500 people  and we also glance at the Christmas cards of Seamus Heaney which are due to go on public display shortly. Poet Holds Christmas Dinner for 500 For the ...

Menella Bute Smedley Poems

 

Menella Bute Smedley was a 19th century English poet, playwright and novelist who also translated German verse into English.  She published at least three volumes of poetry and also collaborated with a sister on poetry for children.  A famous relative of hers was Lewis Carroll. Smedley was born sometime during November 1820 in the Buckinghamshire town of Great Marlow, the daughter of a ...

Mary Botham Howitt Poems

 

Mary Botham Howitt was a 19th century English author who is best remembered for her famous children’s poem The Spider and the Fly.  Her literary output was considerable and, collaborating on many projects with her husband, she had over 180 books to her name. She was born Mary Botham on the 12th March 1799 at Coleford which is a small town in the Forest of ...

Landmark refused/Bridge Naming/Klingon Poetry – Poetry News Roundup December 22nd

 

In our final round up of the week we bring you stories about the poet's house that has not been awarded landmark status, the bridge named for a different poet and the upcoming debut of a poem written entirely in Klingon! Walt Whitman House Denied Landmark Status Earlier this year lawyer Brad Vogel, who is himself a poet, made a startling discovery which he set about trying to rectify. He discovered that ...

Mary Barber Poems

 

Mary Barber was an Irish poet who mostly focussed on domestic themes such as marriage and children although the messages in some of her poems suggested a widening of her interests, often making cynical comments on social injustice.  She was a member of fellow Irish poet Jonathan Swift’s favoured circle of writers, known as his "triumfeminate", a select group that also included ...

Turkish Commemoration/National Poetry Day/Tony Walsh – Poetry News Roundup December 21st

 

In todays news round up we look at the annual commemoration ceremony that takes place in Turkey to honour 13th century poet Rumi, we also have an article about the winners of the National Poetry Day competition which was run back in September and finally a new poem from Tony Walsh which looks back on the events of 2017 and celebrates the North west of England. Turkish President Celebrates the Works ...

Mary Ashley Townsend Poems

 

Mary Ashley Townsend was a 19th century American poet and novelist whose ancestors originated from Europe’s Low Countries. She was born Mary Ashley van Voorhis on the 24th September 1832 in Lyons which is in Wayne County, New York.  She was educated at a small school in Fellows Corners and then went to the Lyons Academy.  Growing up on the family farm as an  ...

Dareen Tatour/Queen’s Gold Medal – Poetry News Roundup December 20th

 

In today's news round-up here at My Poetic Side we revisit the story of Dareen Tatour, the Palestinian poet who is under house arrest and learn that the courts are still deliberating on her case. We also bring you an article about the winnner of the Queen’s gold medal for poetry The Poet Still Under House Arrest Earlier this year we brought you the ...