Poems for Pride Month, Conversations with Walt Whitman, and more

May 31, 2022

Poems for Pride Month

“i love you to the moon &” by Chen Chen
“from obedience [the clock is on time]” by kari edwards
“This Is What Makes Us Worlds” by Joshua Jennifer Espinoza
“10 AM is When You Come to Me” by Meg Day
“I, Lover” by Elsa Gidlow
“Black Parade” by Darrel Alejandro Holnes
“Boy in a Stolen Evening Gown” by Saeed Jones
“Gay Marriage Poem” by Jenny Johnson
“Edmonia Lewis and I Weather the Storm” by Xan Phillips

“He was dressed as usual in a grey suit, and negligé shirt with a broad turnover collar. I was too much impressed by the passive power of his personality, and occupied in studying his appearance and the milieu in which he lived to be able to remember much of this first conversation.”

“My First Visit”
“Visits During 1886, March–October”

In celebration of Walt Whitman’s birthday and Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage month, read excerpts from Conversations with Walt Whitman (E. P. Coby & Co., Publishers, 1895) by Sadakichi Hartmann.

Carl Sadakichi Hartmann, born on November 8, 1867 in Nagasaki, was a poet, playwright, and art critic. Among the first to introduce Western readers to Japanese forms such as the haiku and tanka, he was the author of many books, including My Rubaiyat (Self-published) and Tanka and Haikai: Japanese Rhythms (Self-published, 1916). He died on November 22, 1944.

#PoetryNearYou Pick of the Week: A June Jordan Tribute

Check out our #PoetryNearYou Pick of the Week: a Tribute to June Jordan at the Brooklyn Museum in NYC featuring Kyle Carrero Lopez, June 2021 Poem-a-Day guest editor Anaïs Duplan, Marwa Helal, and Crystal Valentine. Presented in partnership with PEN America and New York Literary Action Coalition. Saturday, June 4 at 6 p.m. EDT at the Brooklyn Museum (200 Eastern Pkwy, Brooklyn, NY 11238). Register for this free event here.

Sponsored Content

Loneliness is now a national epidemic. The Foundation for Art & Healing’s UnLonely Film Festival is using the power of film to raise awareness and help us connect. Register today for the sixth annual UnLonely Film Festival Launch Event at 7 p.m. EDT on Sunday, June 5.

2022 National Youth Poet Laureate

Congratulations to Alyssa Gaines, who has been named the sixth National Youth Poet Laureate of the United States. Urban Word, the founding organization of the National Youth Poet Laureate Program, announced Gaines as the 2022 National Youth Poet Laureate at a commencement program held at The Kennedy Center this month. Watch a replay of the event on YouTube.

Watch and listen to Robert Hayden’s poem “Those Winter Sundays,” as read by Roger Robinson. Part of the Adrian Brinkerhoff Poetry Foundation’s Read By series of poetry films.

Apply Now: Poetry Coalition Fellowships

With thanks to the Mellon Foundation, the Poetry Coalition is pleased to announce the 2022–23 Poetry Coalition Fellowships, which are paid fellowship positions hosted by founding member organizations Letras Latinas, Mass Poetry, Urban Word, Woodland Pattern, and Youth Speaks. Applications are being accepted until July 3, 2022. The positions will begin on September 5, 2022 and end on June 30, 2023. Interested individuals who are 21 or older are encouraged to apply, including those who are enrolled in or have recently graduated from an MFA program in creative writing.

From Our Partners

Join the Alan B. Slifka Foundation, the Academy of American Poets, and The Ruby on June 5 at 7 p.m CDT to celebrate the launch of Human Resources, the debut collection of poems by Ryann Stevenson and the 2021 winner of the Max Ritvo Poetry Prize. Stevenson will be joined in conversation by poet Richie Hofmann. The Max Ritvo Poetry Prize Presents virtual event series brings together a vibrant group of poets and poetry advocates for an evening of celebration and conversation in honor of Max Ritvo’s work and life. Free and open to the public. RSVP here.

The Paris Review is seeking a full-time digital manager.
University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida is seeking an assistant professor of English.
Mass Poetry is seeking a development intern and a marketing intern.

Read more about Brandy Nālani McDougall’s curation, featured in Pacific Daily News, and listen to McDougall discuss her curatorial approach, read her poems, and more on Poets.org.

Revisit last week’s Poem-a-Day selections with us on Poets.org:

May 22: “Ahead and Around” by Laura Riding Jackson
May 23: “Imaginary Photo Album or, When We Die, Our Polaroids Speak to Our Living Descendants” by Art 25: Art in the 25th Century
May 24: “The Viole(n)t Cat” by Dan Taulapapa McMullin
May 25: “By Your Hand” by Haʻåni Lucia Falo San Nicolas
May 26: “The Only Place in the U.S. with Zero COVID Deaths” by Terisa Siagatonu
May 27: “The Weavers Were the First to Know” by Arielle Taitano Lowe
May 28: “[The sun is lord of life and colour]” by Iris Tree

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Poems for Pride Month, Conversations with Walt Whitman, and more

Older messages

"Seawall soliloquy number two: she built a seawall" by Kathy Jetñil-Kijiner

"Fire Dragon" by Sage Uʻilani Takehiro

"The Gift of India" by Sarojini Naidu

"[The sun is lord of life and colour]" by Iris Tree

"The Weavers Were the First to Know" by Arielle Taitano Lowe

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