Showing posts with label Poetry Month 2026. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Poetry Month 2026. Show all posts

Thursday, April 30, 2026

This is Just to Say

 


It is with relief that this NPM comes to a close. I've learned lots about writing poetry this month. There is power in working the same form day after day. You go deep and learn it well. You start to feel it in your bones, or in my case, start to speak in three syllable chunks. Similarly, there is power in trying to put big ideas into small containers. Synonyms were my friend, I learned to work the titles, and every now and then I got a rush of joy when I stuck a landing. Brevity was both a bane and a joy. I'm definitely ready to use more words and write more actual POETRY.

I also learned lots from reading the news every day. First of all, journalists are amazing. The number and variety of stories is endless. Bad news is way more relentless than my previous glances at headlines revealed. But there is also always good news to be found. It pays to be patient because things change with about the same frequency as they erupt. When all else fails, looking out the window or walking in the garden is the perfect antidote. Even just the act of making something every day and showing up with it in public helped put the news into perspective. 

Art matters.



Wednesday, April 29, 2026

King Charles Speaks Truth to Power

 



"...even though the royals may only have soft power, hearing Charles advocate for NATO like that is striking..." via NPR's Up First newsletter

Sunday, April 26, 2026

Ineffective Ways to Negotiate

 


Trump Cancels Aides’ Trip for Iran Talks: ‘We Have All the Cards’ 

“The president said he pulled his team from the flight shortly before takeoff,

and he told the Iranians they could negotiate by telephone instead.”
via the NYT


Saturday, April 25, 2026

Science vs. Wonder

 


Norway’s Century-Long Watch on the Northern Lights by Alexa Robles-Gil in the NYT

Tuesday, April 21, 2026

A River Runs Through It

 


Upon the 50th anniversary of the publication of Norman Mclean’s novella,
A River Runs Through It. NYT article here.

Monday, April 20, 2026

Shooting Spree

 



NYT article “Haunted by ‘Dark Thoughts,’ Louisiana Father Kills 8 Children,”
by Eduardo Medina, Christina Morales, and Johnny Diaz.

Saturday, April 18, 2026

Making Good

 

The Good List: A weekly inventory of ideas, rituals and cultural artifacts to add joy to your days. Hosted by Melissa Kirsch, via the NYT.

Sunday, April 12, 2026

You Are a Crew

 


“Jeremy Hansen said that if people liked how the Artemis II astronauts worked together, that joy was something everyone can share.” Via Kenneth Chang’s NYT article “Artemis II Crew Reunites With Families and Fellow NASA Astronauts.”

Saturday, April 11, 2026

National Poetry Month

 


Jane Hirschfield on poetry’s enduring potency:

“Stone did not become apple. War did not become peace. / Yet joy still stays joy. Sequins stay sequins. Words still bespangle, bewilder.”

Friday, April 10, 2026

News Fatigue

 


My heart needed protection in order to read Evan Gorelick’s lead article

(“A.I. Lockdown”) in today’s NYT newsletter “The Morning.”

Sam Sifton calls them “...some frightening

developments in the world of artificial intelligence.”

Frightening, indeed.