What's the Word? Celebrating National Poetry Month in April

Poetry for Children
From nursery rhymes and nonsense poems to sophisticated verse dealing with serious subjects, poetry for children shapes children's relation to language in ways that prose does not—and teaches them about the power of words and the imagination. On this program, Roderick McGillis talks about Christina Rosetti's 1872 collection, Sing-Song; Joseph Thomas Jr. explores profanity in playground rhymes; and Lisa Paul tells us about the poetry of transnational poet Grace Nichols.

Mystical Poets
The search for spiritual connection has been expressed in many, ways including through poetry. Mystical poetry is a literary form in which those who have experienced the direct presence of God try to put this heightened, ephemeral state into words. On this program, Omid Safi tells us about the thirteenth-century Persian poet Rumi; Alison Weber explores the poetry of Teresa of Avila; and Richard Rambuss discusses the seventeenth-century English poet Richard Crashaw.


If you enjoyed these pieces, also see Chinese Women’s Poetry A Celebration of Chinese Women Poets.

If you enjoyed these pieces, also see Poetry in Performance From Homer to slam, the special appeal of Poetry in performance.

Well-suited to National Poetry Month in April.

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Poetry for Children
From nursery rhymes and nonsense poems to sophisticated verse dealing with serious subjects, poetry for children shapes children's relation to language in ways that prose does not—and teaches them about the power of words and the imagination. On this program, Roderick McGillis talks about Christina Rosetti's 1872 collection, Sing-Song; Joseph Thomas Jr. explores profanity in playground rhymes; and Lisa Paul tells us about the poetry of transnational poet Grace Nichols.

Mystical Poets
The search for spiritual connection has been expressed in many, ways including through poetry. Mystical poetry is a literary form in which those who have experienced the direct presence of God try to put this heightened, ephemeral state into words. On this program, Omid Safi tells us... Show full description