Poetry & Spoken Word

‘A Small Needful Fact’: Possibly the Most Heartbreaking Piece on Eric Garner You’ll Read

Staff / Truthdig Jul 1, 2015 Ross Gay's unforgettable poem about Eric Garner--who was choked to death by an NYPD officer last July--reads like a memorial wreath, delicately pieced together with pain and sprouts of hope. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

AUDIO: ‘Critical Race Theory: The Year in Review 2014’: a Candid Poem About Modern-Day Racism

Staff / Truthdig Jun 17, 2015 Lisa Alvarez's straightforward poem gets to the core of a year in which violence against black people became impossible to look away from any longer. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

AUDIO: ‘Your Body Is a Dark Axiom … ‘: A Forceful Poem About Immigration Reform Activism

Staff / Truthdig Jun 3, 2015 Purvi Shah's poem collects the voices and stories of some of the women who fasted to promote immigration reform as part of the National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

AUDIO: ‘The Amazon Is Not for Sale’: a Poem About the Destruction of the Environment for Profit

Staff / Truthdig May 13, 2015 L.E. Goldstein's lyrical lines fill the imagination with the beauty of an area that is quickly becoming one of the many casualties of a world overrun with capitalist greed and corruption. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

‘Still Death’: a Hard-Hitting Poem About Predator Drones (Audio)

Staff / Truthdig Apr 29, 2015 Jill McDonough's poem drives home the idea that when it comes to the many lives taken in our ongoing drone wars, "On the screen or on the ground, death observed is still death." Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

‘Agent Orange’: a Poem About the Terrible Legacy the U.S. Left in Vietnam

Staff / Truthdig Apr 15, 2015 As the 40th anniversary of the fall of Saigon approaches, Paul Lobo Portugés' moving poem serves as a reminder of the pernicious and long-lasting effects American interventionism has had in Vietnam. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

‘Each Breath Despite the Air’: A Poet’s View of Gaza From America

Staff / Truthdig Apr 1, 2015 Kenji Liu's poem about the 2014 conflict in Gaza is especially poignant to listen to as news of the Palestinian Authority joining the International Criminal Court spreads. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

‘Shock Wave’: A Compelling Poem About the Boston Marathon Bombings

Staff / Truthdig Mar 18, 2015 Leslie McGrath's poem gives us an intimate look into a person's mind in the immediate aftermath of the April 15, 2013, tragedy. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

‘Kia’: A Poem That Reflects a Group’s Struggle for Better Working Conditions

Staff / Truthdig Mar 4, 2015 Paul Hlava describes series "Negotiations" as a collage of "language, metaphors and quotes, from managers, workers and management flyers" that were used during a vote to form a collective bargaining unit. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

‘Cycle’: A Poem to Remind Us of Lives Lost Before the #BlackLivesMatter Movement

Staff / Truthdig Feb 18, 2015 Before Michael Brown was shot in Ferguson, before Eric Garner was choked to death in New York and before the #BlackLivesMatter movement had even begun, Amadou Diallo, Sean Bell and countless other unarmed black men had been slain by police. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

That Bird Has My Wings: An Acrostic Pantoum About Death Row Prisoner Jarvis Jay Masters

Staff / Truthdig Feb 4, 2015 Carolyne Wright's touching poem echoes the powerful words of Jarvis Jay Masters, an African-American on death row in a California prison. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

A Report to the City Commissioners: A Poem About Freedom and Privacy in the Surveillance Age

BLANK Jan 22, 2015 At a time when the surveillance state seems stronger than ever, award-winning poet David Wagoner reminds us that sometimes even the most regimented pursuits may lead to a freedom that can only be found in unexpected places . Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )