The City of Chicago and the Poetry Foundation Are Searching for the City's First Poet Laureate

This month, Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot, in partnership with the Chicago Public Library (CPL), the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE), and the Poetry Foundation, announced they are accepting nominations for Chicago’s first Poet Laureate. The program was launched as part of the city’s advocacy of creative and civic communities. The Chicago poet […]

Meet the Poetry Foundation’s Exceptional Young Poetry Fellowship Winners

This September, the Poetry Foundation and Poetry magazine, announced the winners of the 2020 Ruth Lilly and Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Poetry Fellowships: Isabella Borgeson, Luther Hughes, Cyrée Jarelle Johnson, Darius Simpson, and Khaty Xiong. Not only will these young poets receive support and encouragement through further study and writing in the poetry form of the […]

Could Poetry Help Benefit Your Mental Health?

Could a poem a day keep the doctor away? Psychology Today asked the question back in 2011, exploring poetry as an age-old remedy for mental illness. The author cited a study from the National Association for Poetry Therapy, a group that spotlights a second-century Greek physician who promoted personal growth in his clients through the written […]

26 Poems to Help You Celebrate Poetry at Work Day

What better way to celebrate Poetry at Work Day (Jan. 12) than with reading poems about – you guessed it – work! We asked our poetically immersed friends at The Poetry Foundation to recommend some poetry of this ilk. What follows are 26 poems about the ups, downs and in-betweens we experience in pursuit of a living. Honoring […]

Robert Polito Reflects on His Time With the Poetry Foundation

Robert Polito is the outgoing president of the illustrious Poetry Foundation, based here in Chicago. After two fruitful years, Polito just returned to the New School in New York City, where he has been the director of creative writing since 1992. Luckily, I was able to catch him for a Q&A about the Foundation, poetry and more just […]