'What can anyone give you greater than now?' is a question at the heart of William Stafford's work, and at the core of our lives. You Reading This, Be Ready is a call to 'turn around' and wake up to the now, to respect the moment you find yourself in, from one breath to the… Continue reading You Reading This, Be Ready
A pediatric doctor by training, Puerto Rican-American poet William Carlos Williams advanced his poetry by scribbling lines and ideas onto the notebooks of his medical profession. What grew out of this practice was a way of writing that was strikingly humane and attuned to the American vernacular. Between Walls is a simple poem that almost… Continue reading Between Walls – William Carlos Williams
Chen Chen is a startling young American poet whose life as seen through his work is imbued with poignancy and wit. This poem from his debut collection 'When I Grow Up I Want to Be a List of Further Possibilities' is steeped in an excruciating sense of the limits of religion and belief. I'm… Continue reading Chen Chen’s I’m Not a Religious Person But
Kansas-born poet William Stafford's verses are simple, direct moments of contemplation that take their cue from nature and marvel at mystery. A pacifist and a conscientious objector to the Second World War, Stafford worked in outdoor work camps during the war before later moving to Oregon and falling under the spell of the American West.… Continue reading William Stafford’s Looking Across the River
