Poetry blog

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

Recent posts

Charles Wright Poems

 

Charles Wright is a Pulitzer Prize-winning American poet who, in his 79th year, was appointed Poet Laureate of the United States, a role that he filled from June 2014 until May 2015.  As well as writing he has had a long teaching career at various establishments including being Souder Family Professor of English at Charlottesville’s University of Virginia. He was born on the 25th August ...

Philip Levine Poems

 

Philip Levine was a prize-winning American writer and university lecturer who rose from a working class background in Detroit to become one of his country’s greatest poets.  Among many honours and awards came the ultimate prize, when he was into his eighties.  In 2011 he was appointed Poet Laureate of the United States, a post which he filled for two years. He was born ...

Ted Kooser Poems

 

Ted Kooser is a US poet and university lecturer who has also spent time in the life insurance industry and was the editor of a newspaper for a time.  Many honours and awards have come his way, the most prestigious being his appointment in 2004 to the post of Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress. He filled this role for two years and ...

Charles Simic Poems

 

Charles Simic is a Serbian-born, Pulitzer Prize-winning American poet and university lecturer.  He has taught at the University of New Hampshire since 1973 and is currently professor emeritus of American literature and creative writing.  He was nominated three times for the Pulitzer award, winning it once in 1990 for The World Doesn't End, but his greatest achievement came in 2007 when he was appointed 15th ...

Robert Pinsky Poems

 

Robert Pinsky is an US university lecturer, literary critic and poet who has also produced a number of works of translation, most notably a collaboration with Robert Hass and Renata Gorczynski to translate the work of Polish poet Czesław Miłosz.  Amongst his many honours and awards was his appointment as Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress between the years 1997-2000. He was born ...

Anthony Hecht Poems

 

Anthony Hecht was an American multi-award winning poet of German-Jewish origins whose writing was much influenced by the terrible events that he experienced in Germany towards the end of the Second World War.  Post-war he worked as a journalist for the military paper The Stars and Stripes and had a number of teaching assignments at various educational establishments. He was born Anthony Evan Hecht on the ...

Robert Fitzgerald Poems

 

Robert Fitzgerald was a 20th century American poet, university professor and literary critic who also worked for a number of years as both a newspaper and magazine journalist.  He made a considerable name for himself as a translator of classic Greek and Latin works and these became a source of standard reference for students for a number of generations afterwards. He was born ...

Mark Strand Poems

 

Mark Strand was a Canadian-born, multi-award winning American poet who also published essays and works of translation.  His greatest honour was his appointment as Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress in 1990.  He also spent many years teaching at universities all over the United States as well as in Brazil, both on the academic staffs and in visiting professor ...

Robert Hass Poems

 

Robert Hass is a US poet now in his seventies who has won many honours and awards for his writing, including his appointment as National Poet Laureate between the years 1995-97.  Much of his writing reflects his Californian origins in both subject matter and attitude and he has been described in some quarters as "a lyrical virtuoso who is able to turn even cooking recipes into poetry”.  ...

William Meredith Poems

 

William Meredith was an American poet, journalist, wartime fighter pilot and professor of English at a number of educational establishments.  His great literary achievements won him a number of honours and awards including being appointed his country’s Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress in 1978, serving in this post for two years.  Unusually, he was the first gay ...