Recommended Reading: Amy Woolard’s poem “Things Go South” at TriQuarterly. “Here, the apple don’t fall/From the tree. Here, whatever you/Find lying on the ground is yours./A scratch-off waiting to strike.”
Poetry from the Road
The Illustrated Giant
Recommended reading: Horn! reviews The Buried Giant for The Rumpus. Pair with our own Lydia Kiesling's take on the novel here.
Netherworlds of the Twittersphere
“The greatest Intelligence Agency use of Twitter that never really happened is @US_CIA, a remarkable account that posted plausible Langley public notices that became noticeably stranger over time. Eventually it was claiming 30% of all CIA employees were LGBT and/or First Nation and tweeting directly to @khamenei_ir, Iran's ayatollah.” At The Awl, Ken Layne investigates the world of Espionage Twitter.
●
●
Irish Drinking Songs for Cat Lovers
Do you love cats? Do you love Irish drinking songs? Do you love them together? Apparently, you are not alone. Marc Gunn of the Irish and Celtic Music Podcast has two parody albums devoted to this improbable marriage. Speaking for myself (in the words of the immortal Joe Turner), "I'm like a one-eyed cat, peeping in a seafood store..."
●
●
Shakespeare’s Dictionary
Shakespeare invented more than 1,000 words when he was writing, and now we might be able to find out how. Two New York booksellers believe they have found Shakespeare's annotated dictionary, John Baret's An Alvearie or Quadruple Dictionarie. Although scholars aren't quite convinced, you can read the dictionary in full to decide for yourself.
My hangovers are scheduled a year in advance.
John Waters on parents, aging, routine, gangsta rap, and WikiLeaks.
●
●
“It is difficult / to get the news from poems.”
As part of their 80th anniversary celebration, the Academy of American Poets recently revamped their website. The updated website now boasts such features as “geographically relevant information (such as local poetry events),” “interviews with renowned poets,” and “free lesson plans tailored for K-12 teachers.” Go take a look for yourself. I recommend starting with Sally Van Doren’s poem, “Thief.”
●
●
A Beautiful Alternate World
Kaveh Akbar interviews poet Wendy Xu about oppressive syntax, imaginary realms, and poems as ecosystems. As she puts it, “Poetry validates the emotional realness of the imaginary.” Pair with Andrew Kay’s Millions essay on the power of poetry.
●
●