Something to Celebrate

A new poem by Seamus Heaney, published in the Times.

A Poem for Remembrance Day

Something a little different, but it packs an emotional wallop: Patterns, by Amy Lowell I walk down the garden paths, And all the daffodils Are blowing, and the bright blue squills. I walk down the patterned garden-paths In my stiff, brocaded gown. With my powdered hair and jewelled fan, I too am a rare Pattern. [...]

Teaching Wilfred Owen

When I told my English 150 students that they would be reading a poem on the occasion of Remembrance Day, some of them exclaimed, “Oh, god, not ‘On Flanders Field’!” This is a little sad, but I imagine Canadian students do get something of an overload of that famous poem. No, I told them, we [...]

For Readers and Teachers of Poetry

This is one of those quote-within-a-quote-within-a-quote things that happen in blogs. Litlove, in a post for the Sunday Salon is writing about reading Rilke’s Duino Elegies. This post on its own is worth reading, as she captures vividly the ecstacy of reading Rilke. But I particularly loved this quote from the critic William Gass, writing [...]

“The Windhover”: a reading

Gardner Campbell, always a source of great blog material, has produced a lovely reading and interpretation of Hopkins’ “The Windhover.” His reading of the poem actually brought tears to my eyes, because more than any I’ve heard he managed to convey Hopkins’ … rapture, for want of a better word. PS: my comments on his [...]

Writer on Poet

This seems like the perfect link for a blog for English. The LiveJournal blogger, “Truepenny,” who is Sarah Monette the author in real life blogs today about Gerard Manley Hopkins. She’s teaching a university course in her area this year, so watch for interesting posts.