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Poets & Poetry

April is National Poetry Month. View our Poets & Poetry Collection and our Poets Laureate Collection.

View our Poets & Poetry Collection and our Poets Laureate Collection. 

Content Type
Comparisons, Part 2 | Tools of the Trade

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Comparisons, Part 2 | Tools of the Trade
Episode 6
So, Tom used simile and metaphor in his poem. He even gave it a name! Small Victory Like enormous snails a bunch of munching cows cross the road, chewing their cuds as green, gloppy paste drips from...
Comparisons, Part 1 | Tools of the Trade

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Comparisons, Part 1 | Tools of the Trade
Episode 5
Michael Carey's two most basic tools for saying more with less are simile and metaphor. Michael teaches that these tools of comparison add even more meaning to a poem. A simile is a comparison that...
Rhythm and Line Breaks | Tools of the Trade

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Rhythm and Line Breaks | Tools of the Trade
Episode 4
Rhythm and Line Breaks There are even more ways that Tom Slack can improve on his word "painting." Michael Carey teaches that rhythm and line breaks are basic tools that add meaning to poems. Like a...
What Is Haiku? What Are the Rules?

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What Is Haiku? What Are the Rules?
Episode 1
What Is Haiku? "Simply what is happening in this place at this moment." - Matsuo Basho Traditional haiku describes a moment in time using words that awaken the senses. Matsuo Basho, a famous haiku...
Grace Freeman | Poets Laureate

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Grace Freeman | Poets Laureate
Episode 5
Grace Freeman S.C. Poet Laureate 1985 - 1986 Grace Freeman was named poet laureate of South Carolina by Governor Dick Riley in 1985. Grace was born in Greenville County, and her poems, stories, plays...
Ennis Rees | Poets Laureate

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Ennis Rees | Poets Laureate
Episode 4
Ennis Rees S.C. Poet Laureate 1984 - 1985 In 1984, Ennis Rees was named the third poet laureate of South Carolina by Governor Dick Riley. At the time, Ennis had been an English professor at the...
Helen von Kolnitz Hyer | Poets Laureate

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Helen von Kolnitz Hyer | Poets Laureate
Episode 3
Helen von Kolnitz Hyer S.C. Poet Laureate 1974 - 1983 Like Archibald Rutledge, Helen von Kolnitz Hyer had a calling to be a poet at a very young age. As a girl, she memorized poems from her aunt's...
Pat Mora | Poetry All-Stars

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Pat Mora | Poetry All-Stars
Episode 7
Pat Mora (1942 - ) Pat Mora is a writer of numerous children's books of poetry and prose. Mora is a native of El Paso, Texas and her work often features local interests, such as her family, the...
Rita Dove | Poetry All-Stars

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Rita Dove | Poetry All-Stars
Episode 5
Rita Dove 1952 - In 1987, Rita Dove was one of the youngest poets to win a Pulitzer Prize for poetry. Dove also became the youngest poet laureate of the United States in 1993. Currently, Dove is a...
Robert Frost | Poetry All-Stars

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Robert Frost | Poetry All-Stars
Episode 4
Robert Frost 1874-1963 After a failed attempt at farming in New Hampshire, Frost moved with his wife to England in 1912. There, he was influenced by the great English poets of the day. His friend Ezra...
Maya Angelou | Poetry All-Stars

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Maya Angelou | Poetry All-Stars
Episode 3
Maya Angelou (April 4, 1928 - May 28, 2014) Dr. Maya Angelou's busy career has included work as a poet, historian, songwriter, playwright, dancer, film producer, director, actress, singer, and civil...
Walt Whitman | Poetry All-Stars

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Walt Whitman | Poetry All-Stars
Episode 2
Walt Whitman 1819 - 1892 Walt Whitman, "The Great Grey Poet," was born in 1819 on Long Island in New York. At an early age, Whitman began reading the work of Shakespeare and Homer. His love of words...
Langston Hughes | Poetry All-Stars

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Langston Hughes | Poetry All-Stars
Episode 1
Langston Hughes 1902-1967 Langston's father once discouraged him from writing poetry. He believed discrimination would keep the young Langston from finding success as a poet. But Langston continued to...
Rocking | A World of Poetry

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Rocking | A World of Poetry
Episode 6
Rocking The sea rocks her thousands of waves. The sea is divine. Hearing the loving sea I rock my son. The wind wandering by night Rocks the wheat. Hearing the loving wind I rock my son. God, the...
The Joy of a Singer | A World of Poetry

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The Joy of a Singer | A World of Poetry
Episode 4
The Joy of a Singer A wonderful occupation Making songs! But all too often they Are failures. A wonderful fate Getting wishes fulfilled! But all too often they Slip past. A wonderful occupation...
William Gilmore Simms | S.C. Hall of Fame

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William Gilmore Simms | S.C. Hall of Fame
William Gilmore Simms was born in Charleston, South Carolina. He was a poet, novelist, and historian whose work was a major force in antebellum Southern literature. He was called one of America’s best...
Singing Amazing Grace | Artopia

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Singing Amazing Grace | Artopia
Eboni Ramm sings her jazz reinterpretation of the hymn, Amazing Grace and also includes spoken word.
Poetry Workshop | Artopia

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Poetry Workshop | Artopia
Eboni Ramm provides advice about having a career in music and poetry. Listen to students perform spoken word.