News+

ON THIS PAGE
– archived news with links
– for recent stories please go to Home/News
– for earlier stories (approx dates): Archive No 1 (Jun-Oct 2011) and Archive No 2 (Jan 2012-Apr 2014)

Sketches from Edgewater A Poem of the Week in-depth analysis from The Guardian – Dec 2014
10 best US poetry books of 2014 New York Times – Dec 1014
Gothic-Arabic poems Mazen Mehdi featured in Times of Oman – Dec 2014
Poems on race in the USA Readers sent in some 300 poems to the New York Times following the deaths of black men killed by police and the subsequent murder of police and demonstrations – Dec 2014
Twas the night before Christmas… Full text. Int Business Times – Dec 2014
Afghanistan. Andrew Motion’s poems from interviews with troops. BBC report and sample poems – Dec 2014
740,000 entries in Dubai tv poetry show. Abu Dhabi city guide – Dec 2014
Pregnancy… life, love, death Two Australian poets reviewed – Lucy Williams & Jery Kroll. The Australian – Dec 2014
Best poetry books of 2014 Brief reviews. The Independent – Dec 2014
Matt Harvey Renewable energy – free eBook – download here – Dec 2014

Imtiaz Dharker awarded Queen’s Gold Medal for Poetry. India.com – Dec 2014

Liz Berry’s Black Country poems Ernest review of a winning collection. Guardian – Nov 2014

Philip Larkin Full review of honest biography; private actions destroyed gentle image. If you don’t want the image of unassuming uni librarian disturbed, don’t read this. New York Times – Nov 2014

Dylan Thomas notebook found Full report on previously unknown 1930s’ notebook about to be auctioned, with drafts of poems. A maid secretly kept it after being ordered by Dylan’s mother-in-law to burn it. Guardian – Nov 2014
Owen & Sassoon Revealing blog on Siegried Sassoon’s mentoring of Wilfred Owen. Liam Hoare’s essay – Nov 2014
Clive James  A highly recommended and intensely moving article in the New York Times which has such excellent coverage of poets and poetry. – Nov 2014 (photo: Wikipedia)
Poetry in translation News report/feature on annual ‘Stephen Spender’ prize in The Guardian – Nov 2014
Clouds Article on clouds as popular subject of poetry. Guardian – Nov 2014
Dylan’s 100th Feature and brief slideshow with focus on Laugharne, Wales and Dylan’s granddaughter New York Times – Oct 2014
Dylan Thomas. New BBC eBook – The Road to Milk Wood BBC – Oct 2014
E-books and poetry publishing. In the USA, 20% of the 10,000 poetry books published in 2013 were e-books. Full article discusses the special needs, formatting poetry on the electronic page. New York Times – Sept 2014
Kate Tempest. A Guardian profile. Here. – Sept 2014
A E Housman manuscript Substantial illustrated report on forthcoming sale of 1917 draft manuscript of ‘Epitaph On An Army of Mercenaries’. Mail Online. – Sept 2014
‘Dazzled.’ A$15,000 prizewinner. Download free (pdf) book of 80 poems including Australian $15,000 prizewinning poem ‘Dazzled’ by David Ades – just announced – Univ of Canberra – Vice-Chancellor’s International Poetry Prize. (University revised website – page link broken – Uni webteam advised (2016) – Sept 2014
Poetry pairings. Remarkable and imaginative linking of poems, old and new, with current news stories. A collaboration between the New York Times and the US-based Poetry Foundation. Here’s a full list of Pairings, begun in 2010, complete with the poems and news summaries. New York Times – Sept 2014
Seamus Heaney Interviewed in 2010 – recording. Poetry Foundation – Aug 2014
Desmond O’Grady The Irish poet, who died this week. Guardian blog. – Aug 2014
Simin Behbahani, ‘The Lioness of Iran’ has died. This article is highly recommended reading – for her life, dedication and her poetry… ‘My Country, I will build you again,/
If need be, with bricks made from my life/I will build columns to support your roof/If need be, with my bones.’ New York Times – Aug 2014
Dylan Thomas & the BBC Recent progs/downloadables listed. BBC. – Aug 2014
New Zealand This Friday, 22nd August 2014, is National Poetry Day in New Zealand. Have a good day, folks! (Permanent links to NZ organisations on the Contacts page – see main menu above.)
Seamus Heaney New collection of Heaney’s later works, planned shortly before his death, is due to be published in November 2014. The Guardian – Aug 2014
£20,000 poetry prize awarded to Hebridian poet Niall Campbell. Guardian – Aug 2014
Poetry New Zealand Poetry… private or performance? Thoughtful editorial & sample poems from current issue of the international journal Poetry NZ – Aug 2014 (Can be purchased as pdf)
Billy Collins Making poetry popular – wise advice from America’s bestseller Irish Times – Aug 2014
Frank O’Hara – New York pictured 50 years ago – book reissued – full review with good taste of O’Hara’s work. New York Times – Aug 2014
Korean poetry in English …and in classical Chinese. Review of triple-language poetry book (with example shown) aimed at bringing Korean hansai poetry to a wider audience. Worth a look. (Webpage no longer  available.) – Aug 2014
Ravi Shankar in Kathmandu. A brief report, but a reminder of poetry around the world… (No relation to the late Indian sitar virtuoso.) The Himalayan – Aug 2014
Siegried Sassoon WWI diaries published online. Full report. New York Times – Aug 2014
Shakespeare in Love We loved the film, now brought to life on the West End stage. See 23 July entry The Shakespeare Blog. – July 2014
Poetry of the Taliban Separate reviews of a ‘beautifully produced’ anthology of well over 200 poems, representing a rich culture that now appears to have turned its back on humanity. First review. Second Guardian review. – July 2014.
What writer’s earn BBC reports results of survey. BBC News July 2014
Palestininan poems published in Scotland. See review of A Bird is not a Stone. – June 2014
Seamus Heany ‘Thoughtful”, “ungimmicky” poetry app praised. Previous Faber poetry apps mentioned. Daily Telegraph review – June 2014
Robert Frost Biographical article on publication of Vol I of letters New York Times – June 2014
James Joyce His short poem Ecce Puer analysed in depth. The Guardian – Jun 2014
The USA has a new Poet Laureate, Charles Wright. Interview and news from New York Times – June 2014
Poets can be millionaires! Full serious article prompted by the Arabic Million’s Poet contest. BBC News – May 2014
Ellen Bass Question: Your poems are so full of sex, humor and compassion. Why are those things missing from so much poetry today?
Answer: I can tell you why I want these things in my own poems — it’s because I also want them in my life. We have such a short time on this planet, and at 66 I’m acutely aware that this visit is going to end. New York Times interview – May 2014
Dylan Thomas Recent radio broadcast talks on Dylan BBC – May 2014
Tadeusz Rozewicz Death of Polish poet – a ‘European great’ – New York Times – May 2014
Australia’s Top 10 A simple list of recent best-selling poetry books in Oz Sydney Morning Herald – May 2014
Simon Armitage poem on chemical, air-cleansing plaque Science meets art at Sheffield Uni, UK. Full report from New York Times – May 2014
Michele Leggott, New Zealand Profile of the NZ poet. NZ Herald – May 2014
Afghan women’s poetry Report on ‘landai’; informative and tragic. New York Times – May 2014
Philip Larkin Full report of pending Hull-London train journey/celebration of Larkin’s Whitsun Weddings Guardian/Observer – May 2014
Charles Causley/Alyson Hallett (right) Causely Trust names fresh poet who will live in late poet Causley’s Cornish (UK) home BBC story – May 2014
Wild Nights with Emily Dickinson Honest blog/article by Sarah Arvio. Poetry Society of America – Apr 2014
Poetry publisher interviewed NYT series – this with Louisiana State University Press. ArtsBeat NYT – Apr 2014
A Poet’s Glossary Glowing review of ‘essential’ book for every serious poet and student of literature. Washington Post – Apr 2014