20th century poets, R - Z
Carl Rakosi
Gary Glazner’s slam take-off on Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s famous sonnet was the perfect excuse for us to explore the work of the American objectivists, Rakosi among them.
Gary Glazner’s slam take-off on Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s famous sonnet was the perfect excuse for us to explore the work of the American objectivists, Rakosi among them.
Carl Rakosi
Don’t miss the bio, interviews, poems, prose and commentary at Modern American Poetry and Rakosi’s 99th birthday celebration at Kelly Writers House, where you can listen to a recorded conversation with Rakosi and his readings of 10 poems.
Don’t miss the bio, interviews, poems, prose and commentary at Modern American Poetry and Rakosi’s 99th birthday celebration at Kelly Writers House, where you can listen to a recorded conversation with Rakosi and his readings of 10 poems.
Laura (Riding) Jackson
At the official Web site administered by her estate, you can read selected poems and stories from her books, including an excerpt from Rational Meaning and her poem, “Nor Is It Written.” Her papers are archived at the Cornell University Library.
At the official Web site administered by her estate, you can read selected poems and stories from her books, including an excerpt from Rational Meaning and her poem, “Nor Is It Written.” Her papers are archived at the Cornell University Library.
Theodore Roethke
In his relatively short lifetime (1908 - 1963), Theodore Roethke wrote a number of poems that sank deep into people’s consciousness. You can hear his own reading of “My Papa’s Waltz” at AAP and read several of his best-loved poems, including the famous villanelle “The Waking,” at the Theodore Roethke Home Museum site.
In his relatively short lifetime (1908 - 1963), Theodore Roethke wrote a number of poems that sank deep into people’s consciousness. You can hear his own reading of “My Papa’s Waltz” at AAP and read several of his best-loved poems, including the famous villanelle “The Waking,” at the Theodore Roethke Home Museum site.
William Stafford
Stafford was a lifelong peace advocate, World War II conscientious objector, Lewis & Clark College professor, Poet Laureate, traveling teacher, prolific and beloved poet of attentive ordinary life.
Stafford was a lifelong peace advocate, World War II conscientious objector, Lewis & Clark College professor, Poet Laureate, traveling teacher, prolific and beloved poet of attentive ordinary life.
Wallace Stevens
Stevens’ page at AAP offers a brief introductory bio and nine of his poems, including his most famous title, “Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird.” You can hear Stevens’ own readings at HarperAudio, in recordings made shortly before his death in 1955.
Stevens’ page at AAP offers a brief introductory bio and nine of his poems, including his most famous title, “Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird.” You can hear Stevens’ own readings at HarperAudio, in recordings made shortly before his death in 1955.
Wallace Stevens
Penn Professor Al Filreis has amassed a rich set of references for his Modern & Contemporary American Poetry course, but Wallace Stevens gets a page of his own on Filreis’ site and it’s the place to look for critical readings amd documents like Father Hanley’s letter describing the poet’s alleged deathbed conversion.
Penn Professor Al Filreis has amassed a rich set of references for his Modern & Contemporary American Poetry course, but Wallace Stevens gets a page of his own on Filreis’ site and it’s the place to look for critical readings amd documents like Father Hanley’s letter describing the poet’s alleged deathbed conversion.
Wallace Stevens
In Tennessee, Professor David Lavery has also gathered references and background materials on Stevens’ life and work for his site entitled “Feigning with the Strange Unlike” (quoted from Stevens’ poem “To the One of Fictive Music”).
In Tennessee, Professor David Lavery has also gathered references and background materials on Stevens’ life and work for his site entitled “Feigning with the Strange Unlike” (quoted from Stevens’ poem “To the One of Fictive Music”).
May Swenson
This late great poet was known as a translator and playwright as well as a poet during her 50 years of writing, and now there’s an award in her name. Robert Hass chose her poem “Question” for his Poet’s Choice newspaper column in September 1998.
This late great poet was known as a translator and playwright as well as a poet during her 50 years of writing, and now there’s an award in her name. Robert Hass chose her poem “Question” for his Poet’s Choice newspaper column in September 1998.
Dylan Thomas
Unfortunately, Warrick Whatman’s fine Dylan Thomas site has vanished from the Net, but you can find some of Thomas’ poems at AAP and a wealth of information about his life and works at the official Dylan Thomas Web site managed by the Dylan Thomas Centre in his home town, Swansea.
Unfortunately, Warrick Whatman’s fine Dylan Thomas site has vanished from the Net, but you can find some of Thomas’ poems at AAP and a wealth of information about his life and works at the official Dylan Thomas Web site managed by the Dylan Thomas Centre in his home town, Swansea.
Dylan Thomas
To walk in Dylan Thomas’ footsteps in the places where he spent his last days in New York City, take our self-guided walking tour of Greenwich Village.
To walk in Dylan Thomas’ footsteps in the places where he spent his last days in New York City, take our self-guided walking tour of Greenwich Village.
Philip Whalen
Known as a poet’s poet, Beat innovator (he was at the famous Six Gallery reading), and the most genuine and gentle of men, Philip Whalen was ordained a Zen priest in 1973 and died in 2002. Jacket Magazine #11 has a gathering of memoirs and poems.
Known as a poet’s poet, Beat innovator (he was at the famous Six Gallery reading), and the most genuine and gentle of men, Philip Whalen was ordained a Zen priest in 1973 and died in 2002. Jacket Magazine #11 has a gathering of memoirs and poems.
Philip Whalen
Mark Other Place is a beautiful online chapbook sampling of Whalen's poems with drawings by Nancy Davis at Big Bridge, which also has a bibliography of Whalen's publications.
Mark Other Place is a beautiful online chapbook sampling of Whalen's poems with drawings by Nancy Davis at Big Bridge, which also has a bibliography of Whalen's publications.
William Carlos Williams
Read the poems first, always. Ten of Dr. Williams’ are posted on his page at AAP, including the famous “The Red Wheelbarrow” and a RealAudio recording of “To Elsie” in WCW’s own voice. AAP also has lots of background info on the Imagists, the Objectivists and the Modernists, to put Williams’ pithy poems into a broader historical context.
Read the poems first, always. Ten of Dr. Williams’ are posted on his page at AAP, including the famous “The Red Wheelbarrow” and a RealAudio recording of “To Elsie” in WCW’s own voice. AAP also has lots of background info on the Imagists, the Objectivists and the Modernists, to put Williams’ pithy poems into a broader historical context.
William Carlos Williams
For background, biography and commentary on Williams’ work, visit Modern American Poetry’s Williams collection, Ben Johnson’s Modernism page on Williams and the PBS Voices & Visions feature, which includes a video clip of “The Great Figure.”
For background, biography and commentary on Williams’ work, visit Modern American Poetry’s Williams collection, Ben Johnson’s Modernism page on Williams and the PBS Voices & Visions feature, which includes a video clip of “The Great Figure.”
William Butler Yeats
William Butler Yeats (1865 - 1939) was both poet and playwright, a towering figure in 20th century literature in English, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1923, a master of traditional verse forms and at the same time an idol of the modernist poets who followed him.
William Butler Yeats (1865 - 1939) was both poet and playwright, a towering figure in 20th century literature in English, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1923, a master of traditional verse forms and at the same time an idol of the modernist poets who followed him.
William Butler Yeats
There’s a brief biography and a good selection of Yeats’ poems in the AAP archives. Atlantic Online’s Soundings series has a feature on his famous poem “Easter 1916” with audio readings by three contemporary poets, and you can hear Yeats’ own reading of “The Lake Isle of Innisfree” at AAP.
There’s a brief biography and a good selection of Yeats’ poems in the AAP archives. Atlantic Online’s Soundings series has a feature on his famous poem “Easter 1916” with audio readings by three contemporary poets, and you can hear Yeats’ own reading of “The Lake Isle of Innisfree” at AAP.
William Butler Yeats
It’s not easy to find a comprehensive gathering of W.B. Yeats’ work online—our library has a selection of the most famous of his earlier poems (those that are in the public domain). Bartleby.com has the texts of three of his collections, and there are also a good number of his poems at Online Literature and in the University of Maryland Library’s online reading room.
It’s not easy to find a comprehensive gathering of W.B. Yeats’ work online—our library has a selection of the most famous of his earlier poems (those that are in the public domain). Bartleby.com has the texts of three of his collections, and there are also a good number of his poems at Online Literature and in the University of Maryland Library’s online reading room.