tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50500336161650929442009-02-21T01:28:11.235-05:00Olsson's is a locally Owned & Operated, Independent chain of six book and recorded music stores in the Washington, D.C. area, started by John Olsson in 1972. Olsson's-Dupont Circle is Malaika I. Robinson's home away from home, where she is often seen with a step stool in front of the poetry section. She used to pass poems to fellow English majors at Spelman College. Now the Cincinnati native reads poetry to pigeons on her Capitol Hill fire escape and writes "The News From Poems".Webmasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176000412260440921noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5050033616165092944.post-35681288358095694532008-07-03T09:00:00.000-04:002008-07-03T09:10:42.746-04:00

Jane Shore writes deliberately. She avoids fluff and pomp. Jane eases words together and creates a relaxing look at human habits. A Yes-or-No Answer is her most recent work. These poems gather up hunger, loss, patience and monotony to leave a lasting impression of goodness and fulfillment. My favorite poem in this collection, Scrabble in Heaven, brings together family and after-dinner dreams. It

MIRobinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16203755462708033941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5050033616165092944.post-45142561631779038632008-05-07T20:32:00.006-04:002008-05-08T09:38:20.226-04:00

Let's be honest -- you either admire Jorie Graham's poetry or you avoid the poetry section altogether, right? Well, there are some middle-of-the road folks who may be interested in embarking on a tentative relationship with Graham. Sea Change is definitely worth diving into for a closer look at Graham's linguistic backstrokes.Jorie Graham's latest book of sometimes searing poetry (one poem begins

MIRobinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16203755462708033941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5050033616165092944.post-54088046472332813292008-03-27T09:20:00.003-04:002008-03-27T09:23:49.513-04:00

The nation's capital is normally crawling with policy analysts, journalists and Mid-Western tourists this time of the year, but there were hundreds of poets in town last week for the Split this Rock Poetry Festival. Sonia Sanchez, Mark Doty, Sharon Olds, Lucille Clifton, E. Ethelbert Miller, and Naomi Shihab Nye among others celebrated poetry at venues throughout the city.So, I finally have an

MIRobinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16203755462708033941noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5050033616165092944.post-75250941762235971162008-03-12T20:18:00.003-04:002008-03-13T09:52:53.933-04:00

So this blogging thing is still new to me. I just penned a rather extensive blog entry about Matthea Harvey and lost it to a computer glitch. When my neighbor kindly lets me "steal" his Internet connection, I normally just check the weather report or read my hometown newspaper. No one told me that some blogs get lost in cyberspace and never appear on the webpage. Fortunately, for moments such as

MIRobinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16203755462708033941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5050033616165092944.post-133343523302491192008-03-05T20:30:00.003-05:002008-03-06T09:41:09.209-05:00

Moving beyond identity, embracing his Ibo and Chinese names, Afaa Michael Weaver's poems are sturdy and direct. He achieves the rare exception in American poetry by returning to Whitman, toward the self, to permeate the spirit and to see God."The Plum Flower Dance: Poems 1985 to 2005" include Self Portrait, which really isn't about the self at all. In this poem, the speaker proclaims:I never

MIRobinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16203755462708033941noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5050033616165092944.post-39129012297929797152008-02-26T20:30:00.007-05:002008-02-28T10:17:15.936-05:00

For poetry that rejects timidity, flirts with outrage and embraces the deep laughter heard in industrial kitchens, used car garages and underused libraries -- The Collected Poetry of Nikki Giovanni is an indispensable guidebook.The Collected Poetry of Nikki Giovanni includes '60s movement poetry as well as odes to artists, dusty porches and the blues. Giovanni's melodic poetry -- sometimes smooth

MIRobinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16203755462708033941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5050033616165092944.post-30885050679466544822008-02-05T20:41:00.002-05:002008-02-14T09:55:00.621-05:00

Let’s eschew sentimental romance this month. Put down the syrupy L-O-V-E poems about violets and silk pillowcases. Even if you are in love, let’s explore some of the other “Many, many loves” that enrich life and encourage goodness. That’s where Marge Piercy reigns. “The Crooked Inheritance” by Marge Piercy is full of brilliant, funny poems exploring love – its myths and manifestations. “Many,

MIRobinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16203755462708033941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5050033616165092944.post-74022803163316980632008-01-31T11:00:00.000-05:002008-01-31T10:47:36.370-05:00

If you’re worried about dwindling interest in poetry, here’s a tactic that may help children come closer to poetry. Grab your kid, turn off the generation-80-Atari, unplug whatever has replaced the typewriter and record player then grab A Family of Poems: My Favorite Poetry for Children. Reading to children is, of course, a sure way to foster a love of language and literature.A Family of Poems:

MIRobinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16203755462708033941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5050033616165092944.post-2479882953918883302008-01-24T11:00:00.000-05:002008-01-24T10:16:38.530-05:00

Photography ("writing with light") is close kin to poetry. Our World with poems by Mary Oliver and photographs by Molly Malone Cook proves that the link is undeniable. This work is a conversation between the two forms, and the two life-companions who produced it.Our World is more than a collection of images by Mary Oliver's late partner, Mary Malone Cook. It is a brief chronicle of over four

MIRobinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16203755462708033941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5050033616165092944.post-3720770056563757712008-01-17T11:00:00.000-05:002008-01-17T10:19:36.414-05:00

Okay it's a new year and a lot of people are looking forward to achieving weight-loss goals or moving beyond last year's challenges to embrace this year's opportunities. That's nice. But looking back can give us a great idea of what to expect. And just think of all we can gain by reading the past.Two poetry anthologies published last year, Best American Poetry 2007 and Best New Poets 2007 can

MIRobinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16203755462708033941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5050033616165092944.post-87178745918672992752008-01-10T11:00:00.000-05:002008-01-10T13:15:16.969-05:00

Margaret Atwood enjoys worldwide celebrity for her novels’ wry wit and humorous wisdom. Atwood’s poetry encapsulates the creative genius of her novels with the precision good poetry requires. "The Door" is her latest book of poetry. And it is not an ordinary book of poems.As always, Atwood challenges her audience: to move beyond words, to reconsider their lives, to take notice of the minor and

MIRobinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16203755462708033941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5050033616165092944.post-13598765217001760752008-01-03T11:00:00.000-05:002008-01-03T09:35:32.882-05:00

Wandering into an intimate English club discussion at Emory University a few winters ago exposed me to one of America’s best poets. Of course, had I not been a hungry college student who spied refreshments, I may never have stumbled upon Natasha Trethewey reading from Bellocq’s Ophelia.Such unintended moments are the life-blood of poetry. There is little room for heavy-handedness. Overt politics

MIRobinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16203755462708033941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5050033616165092944.post-15244837913940349382007-12-19T12:45:00.000-05:002007-12-19T13:08:07.671-05:00

Robert Haas entices you to consider colors behind words and actions behind beliefs in Time and Materials (Ecco/ Harper Collins 2007).Mired in the holiday season, many Americans are out getting and spending – passing time with fancy trinkets and forced holiday cheer. In Time and Materials, former U.S. Poet Laureate Robert Hass impels readers to slow down in order to appreciate natural

MIRobinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16203755462708033941noreply@blogger.com0