Once described as America's best selling poet, Pulitzer Prize recipient Mary Oliver frequently wrote about the power of nature and the peace and serentity she found in it. As we enjoy some downtime take the opportunity to explore the beauty of nature that surounds us. Writing Prompt: How does nature inspire you?
On August 8, 1884, Sara Trevor Teasdale was born in St. Louis, Missouri, into an old, established, and devout family. She was home-schooled until she was nine and traveled frequently to Chicago, where she became part of the circle surrounding Poetry magazine and Harriet Monroe. Teasdale published Sonnets to Duse, and Other Poems, her first volume of verse, in 1907. Her second collection, Helen of Troy, and Other Poems, followed in 1911, and her third, Rivers to the Sea, in 1915. In 1914 Teasdale married Ernst Filsinger; she had previously rejected a number of other suitors, including Vachel Lindsay. She moved with her new husband to New York City in 1916. In 1918, she won the Columbia University Poetry Society Prize (which became the Pulitzer Prize for poetry) and the Poetry Society of America Prize for Love Songs, which had appeared in 1917. She published three more volumes of poetry during her lifetime: Flame and Shadow (1920), Dark of the Moon (1926), and Stars To-night (1930). Teasdale's work had always been characterized by its simplicity and clarity, her use of classical forms, and her passionate and romantic subject matter. These later books trace her growing finesse and poetic subtlety. Her final collection, Strange Victory appeared posthumously.
Is there a limit to beauty? Is there a limit to joy?
This poem comes from 1126-1193 CE, during the Song Dynasty. Fan Chengda strayed from other types of Chinese Winter Solstice poetry. This was because he didn’t follow festival customs and decided to pursue the arts: music, poetry, painting, and wine-making.
When have you strayed from the norm? What do you do that’s different from the others?
Margaret Atwood is well known by most from her previous works like The Handmaid's Tale. In her poem “February”, she captures what she sees as the essence of this month in a poem. Write a poem to or as your favorite month. What do you love about it? What do you hate about it? What makes this month different from the others?
Emily Brontë was an English writer during the 1800s. She was seen poorly when she first came out with her works, but is praised now for her unrecognized talent. Using the seasons, Brontë weaves together an image of heaven and hell. She talks about her personal journey through winter specifically. Write about the associations you make with winter. What stories do you think of? What images come to mind?
Nadia L. Hohn is a celebrated Black Canadian author who wrote the brilliant picture book series about Malaika, a girl adapting to a new life in Canada. In Malaika's Winter Carnival, she discovers that Canadian winters are not all that she expected them to be. Learn about winter or a winter holiday in another country - what would it be like? What would you miss from your current experience? What would be interesting about it?
Greta was born 3 years before World War 2 in the Netherlands. In this poem, she is looking into the thoughts of a solider alone in the trenches who is questioning who is responsible for this war and how someone could let this happen.
A novel about a boy from Newfoundland who stows away on a ship due to his dream of going to sea, only to find out that he was on a troop ship headed for France. He is shoved into the horrors of war as he tries to stay alive.
Shared experiences bring friends together and when a friend moves or changes school, the memories of the time spent together can bring both joy and sadness. As we close out our month of remembrance, think about reaching out to a friend who you do not see very often and let them know you are thinking about them.
Pigtails is a lament over the loss of life seen through the loss of hair. A tragic reality of gas chambers and the connection to the simplest things of life like hair. Tadeusz Różewicz was a Polish poet, playwright, writer, and translator. Różewicz was in the first generation of Polish writers born after Poland regained its independence in 1918, following the century of foreign partitions. He first published his poetry in 1938. During World War II, he served in the Polish underground Home Army. His elder brother, Janusz, also a poet, was executed by the Gestapo in 1944 for serving in the Polish resistance movement. His younger brother, Stanisław, became a noted film director and screenwriter.
Anna Świrszczyńska was a Polish poet born in Warsaw in 1909. She attended Warsaw University where she studied medieval and baroque Polish literature. She began publishing poems in the 1930s. During the Nazi occupation of Poland, Świrszczyńska joined the Polish Resistance and was a military nurse during the Warsaw Uprising. The three short poems are a visceral reaction to survival and pain of war.
Poetry is not always beautiful or comfortable, sometimes it can be intrusive. Think of a time when your senses were overwhelmed. Write a short poem about your experience.
Vera Brittain worked as a nurse during World War 1 and is best known for her memoirs. This poem, fillied iwth sarcastic remarks, talks about her experience after the war, with her brother, friends, and her fiance all dying in the war.
Amy Peterson explores the experience of a mother whose child has decided to go and serve their country. She doesn't beat around the bush, talking about all the horrors of the way, and helping the audience see that behind a solider is people waiting for him to return home.
One of the ideas that we take from Remembrance Day is resilience. The ability or strength to pick up and keep going even in the face of difficulty. Nikita Gill perfectly captures that sense of resiliency in her poem Hearts Like Wildflowers. How do you deal with the challenges you face? How do you demonstrate your resilience?
“Born in Moravia, New York, poet Sophie Jewett was the daughter of a country doctor. Her childhood was marked by loss and displacement. When she was seven years old, her mother died, and Jewett was summoned from sleep to observe her passing; her father died two years later. After his death, Jewett and her three siblings moved to Buffalo to live with their uncle and grandmother, both of whom died during Jewett’s adolescence.
Jewett then turned to her minister, the Reverend Wolcott Calkins, and his daughter Mary Whiton Calkins for support. The Calkinses encouraged Jewett’s literary interest, and Mary later co-edited Jewett’s final, posthumous collection of poetry.
Jewett’s early writing was enhanced by her experiences traveling to England and Italy. Her poetry often finds its shape in the sonnet form, and frequently takes as its subject intimacy between women. Jewett’s poetry collections include The Pilgrim, and Other Poems (1896) and God’s Troubadour (1903), as well as a translation from Middle English of The Pearl (1908).
In 1889 Jewett began a career teaching English at Wellesley College. “ - from Poetry Foundation
Heather Patterson writes about World War I and the significance of the poppy in this book that is well suited for younger students. This book helps break down a heavy topic for younger audiences, allowing them to learn more about a vital part of Canada's history. Illustrations help further describe the events that happened, making them easier to follow and comprehend.
Why is it important to learn about our history?
Anna Gordon Keown was an English poet and author during the First World War and earned a prestigious education in Dresden, Germany at Cheltenham Ladies College. Her most well-known among her works is her book the Cat Who Saw God,--a comic drama about a cat possessed by the Roman Emperor Nero who settles down with an old English woman--which TIME magazine listed as one of their "Books of the Week" in 1932. Her sonnet Reported Missing is another one of her most famous works about hope during the War and is currently still studied in British schools.
“ Poet and playwright Ed Bok Lee was raised in South Korea, North Dakota, and Minnesota, and he earned an MFA from Brown University. He is the author of Whorled (2011) winner of an American Book Award and a Minnesota Book Award for Poetry; and Real Karaoke People (2005), winner of a 2006 PEN/Open Book Award, and an Asian American Literary Award (Members' Choice). He has shared his work on public radio and MTV, as well as in journals, anthologies, and on stages across North America, Europe, and Asia. “ - from Poetry Foundation
Canadian poet Greta Zwaan's poetry uses rhetorical questions to prompt the reader to reflect upon the terrible events of war; then proceeds to use vivid imagery to depict the horrors that occured. She uses her poem as a source of contemplation as she asks, "Have we ever considered the pain?" Her desire to remember those who have fallen and their sacrifices are clearly narrated.
Remembrance day gives us the opportuinty to refelct on all those who sacrificed to ensure that we would be able to enjoy the lives we live today.
Who in your life has made sacrifices for you?