Poets & Poetry

Marjory Wentworth | A Literary Tour of South Carolina

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This program features Marjory Wentworth. Her poems have appeared in numerous books, magazines and anthologies. She is the author of a collection of poems entitled Noticing Eden. Her most recent book...

Kwame Dawes | A Literary Tour of South Carolina

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Born in Ghana in 1962, Kwame Dawes grew up and spent his early adult life in Jamaica. Dawes is a Distinguished Poet-In-Residence, Louis Frye Scudder Professor of Liberal Arts, and Founder/Executive...

August Wilson | Artopia

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Illustration by Maria Manhattan August Wilson was born on April 27, 1945 and grew up in the Hill district of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His childhood experiences in this particular community and the...

Garcia Lorca | Artopia

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Illustration by Maria Manhattan García Lorca was born Federico García Lorca on June 5, 1898, in Fuente Vaqueros in the Spanish province of Granada. As a child, he expressed his creativity and vivid...

Comparisons, Part 2 | Tools of the Trade

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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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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 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...

Begin with the Basics, Not Rhyme, Part 2 | Tools of the Trade

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Begin with the Basics, Not Rhyme, Part 2 By avoiding the immediate urge to rhyme, the author of a poem can concentrate on its meaning. Enter Tom Slack... This morning, Tom was later to work than usual...

Begin with the Basics, Not Rhyme, Part 1 | Tools of the Trade

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Begin with the basics, not rhyme... The Sea Deep glass-green seas chew rocks with their green-glass jaws. But littles waves creep in and nibble softly at the sand. - Lilith Norman The Things I Hear in...

What Is Haiku? What Are the Rules?

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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...