Tag Archives: Poetry

Isn’t It Romantic

Posted on February 14, 2018 by Brian D. Butler

Happy Valentine’s Day ! This beautiful edition of Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s romantic poems Sonnets from the Portuguese was published in Venice in 1906. The lovely miniature book was handset and bound in vellum. H/t to the University of Iowa Special Collections Library.

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Have we not darken’d and dazed ourselves with books long enough

Posted on February 6, 2018 by Brian D. Butler
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It’s The Thought That Counts

Posted on December 17, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

What’s a writer with limited financial resources to do when the holidays roll around and he wants to send gifts?  For Langston Hughes, during the holiday season of 1950, the answer was to share some of his wit in homemade … Continue reading →

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The Norway of the year

Posted on November 2, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

Every year when November rolls around I am reminded of the quote above from the great American 19th century poet Emily Dickinson. I probably first read the line during high school when I was going through that adolescent poetry phase. … Continue reading →

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Poetry on the Shore

Posted on June 15, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

Poetry on the Shore is an extraordinary project created by Edinburgh Scotland-based multidisciplinary designer Yuxi Liu. Her AI driven autonomous robot travels beaches leaving poems in the sand. Equipped with sensors that allow it to navigate independently, the robot translates its … Continue reading →

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Welcome to Whitman

Posted on April 30, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

It seems appropriate to wrap-up National Poetry Month this year with a nod to the beloved 19th century poet Walt Whitman. Welcome to Whitman, Alabama is a brilliant documentary that uses the poetry of Walt Whitman to explore life in the … Continue reading →

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Hey, It’s Still Poetry Month

Posted on April 20, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

h/t to Robert Montgomery

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National Poetry Month Is Here

Posted on April 19, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

LETTER TO SOMEONE LIVING FIFTY YEARS FROM NOW Matthew Olzmann Most likely, you think we hated the elephant, the golden toad, the thylacine and all variations of whale harpooned or hacked into extinction. It must seem like we sought to … Continue reading →

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You Too Can Be An Intellectual

Posted on April 5, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

I have been reading the Paris Review for as long as I can remember. Although it hasn’t cemented my credentials as an intellectual, I can honestly say that the publication has helped me to become more widely read. Every issue … Continue reading →

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What do Patti Smith and Arthur Rimbaud have in common

Posted on March 29, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

What do Patti Smith and Arthur Rimbaud have in common ? They both owned the same house in France. The American singer and author recently purchased the partially restored home in Roche near the Belgian border with the intention of … Continue reading →

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