Poetry Resources

O Karma, Dharma, pudding and pie

O Karma, Dharma, pudding and pie,
gimme a break before I die:
grant me wisdom, will, & wit,
purity, probity, luck, & grit.
Trustworthy, loyal, helpful, kind,
gimme great abs & a steel-trap mind,
and forgive, Ye Gods, some humble advice--
these little blessings would suffice
to beget an earthly paradise:
make the bad people good--
and the good people nice;
and before our world goes over the brink
teach the believers how to think.

--Philip Appleman from Selected Poems.

The Academy of American Poets
This web site for the Academy of American Poets offers essays on poetry, biographies of more than 450 poets, text of more than 1400 poems, and Real Audio of one hundred poems read by their authors or other poets; and find local poetry resources on the National Poetry Map. The link for Minnesota on the map provides links to local authors as well as Minnesota poetry resources. In the navigation bar, users will also find links to poetry month and poetry exhibits.

Bartleby.com
Ignore the ads. This site has offers thousands of poems by hundreds of authors, with the complete text of many influential (and copyright free) primary works and anthologies, including two by Louis Untermeyer. A pull-down menu features shortcuts to a dozen influential scribes, from Dickinson to Yeats, but scroll down the main page for the full selection. The site's navigation bars are not intuitively organized, but at least it's searchable. (Graff, Keir. Booklist. April 1, 2003.)

The Internet Poetry Archive
Sponsored by the University of North Carolina Press and North Carolina Arts Council, this site features seven contemporary poets: Seamus Heaney, Yusef Komunyakaa, Phillip Levine, Czeslaw Milosz, Robert Pinsky, Margaret Walker, and Richard Wilbur. However, by including quality audio clips of the authors reading their poems, the Internet Poetry Archive recognizes the importance of not just reading poetry silently but hearing it aloud. Having the chance to see a photo of the poets and to hear them read their own work (sometimes with an introduction) is invaluable. (Graff, Keir. Booklist. April 1, 2003.)

Modern American Poetry
An online journal and multimedia companion to the Anthology of Modern American Poetry. Click on the "Poets" link to find an alphabetical listing of poets, their poems and biographical information.

Poetry 180
Sponsored by the Library of Congress, this site offers a poem a day for American high schools.

The Poetry and Literature Center of the Library of Congress
This direct link is to information on the present and past poet laureates of the United States. There are also links to other useful sites.

Poetry.com: The International Library of Poetry
A place to find a poem of the day. The site boasts poems from over 5.1 poets, all of which are searchable by name. Poets are also encouraged to submit their poetry here as well.

Poetry Daily
Each day a new contemporary poem is presented. From the website: "Poems are chosen from the work of a wide variety of poets published or translated in the English language. Our most eminent poets are represented in the selections, but also poets who are less well known. The daily poem is selected for its literary quality and to provide you with a window on a very broad range of poetry offered annually by publishers large and small. Included with each poem is information about the poet and the poem's source."

Poetry Everywhere
Fom PBS, a site with animated poetry and short films featuring poets reading their own works. Farrison Keillor serves as series narrator.

PoetryFoundation.Org
Use the Poetry Tool to find thousands of poems by subject, author or occasion. There are also features on poets as well as reading guides to poetry.

Poets.org
This site from the Academy of American Poets offers a poem database, information on poets, poetry awards, poetry almanac, and writers' resources.

The Writer's Almanac
A daily program of poetry and history hosted by Garrison Keillor.

And don't forget to look in the resources at school (poetry books are in the 811's) and at Hennepin County Library (you'll need your public library card to access these online databases.)
Here's a worksheet to help guide you.

 

Last updated April 2009
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