Poetry Unbound

In times of isolation, what stories have you turned to for comfort?  This poem is an exploration of isolation as seen through the mythical Irish character, Suibhne. Suibhne was cursed and lived a life...

30 Okt 202013min

What is the story of your name? In this poem, the poet calls on place, ancestors, and history to bear witness to the dignity of their name. They recall how their ancestors “acknowledged my roots grew ...

26 Okt 202014min

In strength and defiance, Lucille Clifton celebrates her Black body and her survival. When have you said or heard words like this? Calling herself “both nonwhite and woman,” Lucille Clifton glories in...

23 Okt 202012min

How do you speak of — and to — your body? This is a poem dedicated to the body. “The body is a nation I have never known,” Chris Abani writes. Throughout the 21 lines of this work, he describes lungs,...

19 Okt 202012min

Are there places you've lived or visited that others would disregard? What do you see in them that others might miss?" This poem takes place at night, describing a scene from a town on the edge of a c...

16 Okt 202012min

Is there a character (from history, politics, or literature) whose story you want to tell from a new perspective? This poem is told from the point of view of “Lot’s wife,” a biblical character who was...

12 Okt 202015min

Were you born during a time when laws were different? What impact did those laws have on you? In this poem, Natasha Trethewey recalls the story of how her parents crossed state lines to wed because Mi...

9 Okt 202010min

Is there a moment of beauty you can recall that’s like a blessing for you?This poem takes place at twilight in a field just off the highway to Rochester, Minnesota, where the poet and a friend encount...

5 Okt 202012min