Poetry & Spoken Word

In Hawaii, an End of Innocence

Gregory Glover / Truthdig Jul 18, 2018 In her poem "Sweet Leilani," Sara Simone Wagner speaks for many residents of Hawaii's Big Island who are adjusting to the reality of an ongoing volcanic disaster. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

The Land Between Two Rivers

Elaine Margolin / Truthdig Mar 2, 2018 Tom Sleigh travels to war zones and refugee camps, yet views intervention on his part as transgression. When does passivity become complicity? Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )

Chris Hedges, Gerald Stern: The Poet in Technocratic Society (Video)

Staff and Chris Hedges / Truthdig Dec 6, 2017 "We've lost a voice that is unafraid to speak truth to power, and that longs to do that," the award-winning poet tells Hedges. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

‘A Single Step’: A Poem on ‘Treacherous Journey’ From Haiti to the U.S.

Staff / Truthdig Oct 4, 2017 Hawa Allan's verses breathe life into headlines about the travails Haitian migrants face as they cross from Brazil to Mexico and on to the U.S. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

‘Hemispheres’: A Poem About Syrian Refugee Crisis (Audio)

Staff / Truthdig Sep 13, 2017 Michael E. Woods' moving verses provide a look at how Germany is handling the situation. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Henry David Thoreau: A Life

By Michael Sims Aug 11, 2017 This new biography is the masterpiece that the gadfly of youthful America deserves. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Tracy K. Smith Is Named 22nd U.S. Poet Laureate

Emma Niles / Truthdig Jun 14, 2017 The Princeton University professor and Pulitzer Prize winner says she plans to bring poetry events "to parts of the country where literary festivals don’t always go." Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

The Artist as Prophet

Chris Hedges / Truthdig May 29, 2017 Artists who tell the truth are the mortal enemies of despots, who seek to distort the past, the present and the future. Dig deeper ( 9 Min. Read )

On the Poet Yevgeny Yevtushenko

By Katrina vanden Heuvel Apr 7, 2017 The “poetician, not politician” always seemed conscious of the Russian adage that a great writer is more than a writer—he is a second government (Yevtushenko is pictured here with Katrina vanden Heuvel) The “poetician, not politician” always seemed conscious of the Russian adage that a great writer is more than a writer—he is a second government). Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )

My Yevgeny Yevtushenko (1932-2017)

By Grisha Freidin / The Noise of Time Apr 2, 2017 The Russian poet, who died Saturday at 83, was at the forefront of the cult of poetry that swept the Soviet Union in the decades after Joseph Stalin's death. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )

Poems From the Pond

By Lisa Pasold Apr 1, 2017 Peggy Freydberg's sharp sense of humor and observation are at odds with this book’s presentation. Dig deeper ( 8 Min. Read )

People’s Climate March ‘Warms Up’ With Kickoff Meeting in Washington, D.C.

Clara Romeo / Truthdig Mar 21, 2017 The meeting aimed to fire up activists in advance of a protest scheduled to coincide with President Trump’s 100th day in office. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )