I'm looking for a particular recording of Alan Ginsberg reading America. It was on a mix tape I lost many years ago, and the particular moment that stands out is when he says "America I am the Scottsboro boys", someone in the (high as a kite and raucous) audience shouts out "you
are the Scottsboro boys!" Any pointers would be helpful, either to purchasable media or to online video.
posted by pmb
on Jun 15, 2013 -
4 answers
I remember a little about this poem I read in a poetry class in college. Mainly the line "the bones of my wrists, supple and exemplary" but Google isn't helping. Also that in this or a similar poem, the poet (I think it was a woman) describes how two hyenas were mating and couldn't stop even when a lioness was stalking them. Also a line about how she met two coyotes or wolves who smiled at her with their sharp teeth.
Help? If I could know who this poet is and especially some collection where I could read her poetry, I'd be really greatful! Thank you.
posted by DisreputableDog
on Jun 15, 2013 -
2 answers
I would like to spread the word on a release party of sorts for a small publication that specializes in experimental poetry, literature, and conceptual writing.
[more inside]
posted by archivist
on Jun 10, 2013 -
5 answers
My father used to quote a few lines from a poem that was about an older man (a king maybe?) sailing away for one final adventure. I thought I remembered a line about 'once more across the sundering seas', but when I search on that phrase all I find is stuff related to Tolkien. The poem would be the kind of thing a classically educated person would know, and I think it's pretty famous. Any of this ringing any bells for anyone?
posted by StephenF
on May 9, 2013 -
13 answers
A song request: occasionally when listening to (new to me) music I notice that I recognise a song and not because it's a cover but a poem!
For example Yeat's 'Song of Wandering Aengus' seems to have been set to music by various artists (Waterboys, Donovan) or more recently I heard King Charles' album and suddenly realised I was listening to 'The Ballad of Reading Gaol'.
I rather like it when this happens but I've found it a hard thing to search for, so what else is there?
Interested in pretty much any genre or age - and mainly curious about more 'literary' poetry, although good versions of traditional ballads are definitely welcome!
posted by an opinicus
on Apr 26, 2013 -
37 answers
Can you help me find a <30 second poem about dreams that is appropriate for first graders?
[more inside]
posted by mermily
on Apr 10, 2013 -
12 answers
Can you name (and ideally link to) this poem by Auden - the only thing I remember is that the theme is that he is imagining a civilization (or a city?) built out of water
[more inside]
posted by zresearch
on Apr 2, 2013 -
4 answers
I'm a poet. A pretty good one, occasionally. I've always been a coward when it comes to going for publication, and with April being National Poetry Month it seems an appropriate time to take submitting seriously. What makes more sense these days--trying to get a manuscript published by a publisher, or trying to make a book for a specific audience with a kickstarter/indigogo?
posted by letstrythis
on Mar 30, 2013 -
11 answers
I'm part of a tight-knit community of spoken word poets. A few months ago, a new poet started showing up and reading truly breathtaking poetry. Yay! Recently, a lot of it is sounding suspiciously familiar. Yikes. What to do?
[more inside]
posted by karminai
on Mar 26, 2013 -
11 answers
I have a hazy memory of a piece of writing that I would like to identify. It might have been poetry or prose. It might have been modern or not. It might have been in Italian, French, or English. It's an exchange between the protagonist, a man, and an antagonist - possibly a devil? The antagonist is comparing cow's milk to urine, saying that they are both liquids that come out of cows and are essentially the same. The protagonist says that they are essentially difference and if the antagonist can't articulate why, that simply means the lack is in his understanding. Then he is whisked away somehow.
It's been a long, long, time since I read this, but it made a big impression on me, and I'd like to find up where it is from. If anyone recognizes this exchange please let me know. Obviously google searches are problematic given the subject matter.
posted by bq
on Mar 20, 2013 -
1 answer
I am turning 27 in two days. Inspired by
this, I want to ask for your help in compiling a list of poems that celebrate turning older each year.
[more inside]
posted by pleasebekind
on Mar 13, 2013 -
17 answers
I need an editor (copy and content) for an edgy, non-traditional chapbook of poems. Word count is light -- around 4,000. Budget is nearly non-existent (this is an art project) but there would be some kind of honorarium attached. Can someone help me find a good, trusty editor?
posted by nowhere man
on Mar 3, 2013 -
6 answers
What are other life-affirming poems like Derek Walcott's
"Love After Love"? I don't like really New Age-y or nature-oriented poetry, but poetry about food, wine, children, celebrations, etc are all welcome. More examples and context inside.
[more inside]
posted by Viola
on Mar 1, 2013 -
19 answers
I'm looking for poems about the beach that have some nostalgia to them. I'll be pairing them with some photographs of a woman on the beach looking mostly wistfully (think prenup photos!). Quotes are also appreciated. thanks!
posted by drea
on Feb 11, 2013 -
20 answers
In college, I read a really fabulously sexy, funny prose poem, that I think may have been called "This Condition". The first line may have even started "In this condition..." It was basically a collection of allusions and metaphors to sexual arousal that sort of built to a rhythmic climax at the end. I recall a reference to the shape of Florida.
Oh, poetry lovers of AskMe, can you help me hunt this poem down? I'm desperate to read it again.
posted by mostlymartha
on Feb 2, 2013 -
4 answers
This is a short question, but the internet sucks at poetry books so I've had no luck finding out what I need to know through other channels. Where can I find Tim Seibles' poem "The Groom"? Of his books that actually have a table of contents available online, that poem doesn't appear in any of them, and of course I haven't been able to find it among the other set. Help please! I love that poem and I want to have it again.
posted by invitapriore
on Jan 16, 2013 -
4 answers
I am looking for a poem that was published in Granta magazine sometime between 1992-1995. It wasn't in a poetry-only issue.
[more inside]
posted by Duffington
on Jan 12, 2013 -
2 answers
I read, somewhere, a quote about poets to the effect that even successful poets have day jobs, collect disability payments or come from money. I vaguely recall that this was said (or written) by a woman who was a successful [poet? writer? editor?] in her own right, and who would have had a reasonable sample size on which to base the statement. What quote am I thinking of? Who wrote or said it? My googles have been uncharacteristically ineffective in locating the quote or identifying the source.
posted by dersins
on Jan 11, 2013 -
2 answers
I'm searching for a poem.
I can hardly remember any of it. It begins with digging at a foundation or excavating a basement, and it becomes a well written criticism of American culture/politics. Something about slaves or slavery is discovered from the digging.
Help?
posted by Atticus Swanson
on Jan 7, 2013 -
1 answer
A fantastic gentleman tonight at the coffee shop where I work recited a supposedly 4 verse poem by Dylan Thomas having to do with autumn and I am convinced I heard the word "Tulip" in there somewhere. My question is -- does anyone know what poem he may have been reciting? And even more -- can you think of a great way to respond to him the next time I see him?
[more inside]
posted by soundproof
on Dec 29, 2012 -
2 answers
I need the correct version (punctuation) of Robert Frost's
Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening, please.
[more inside]
posted by kitcat
on Dec 17, 2012 -
28 answers
My grandad passed away today. My family have asked me to find a poem he might like, to read at his funeral. He was an engineer who would only read 'factual' things, such as instructional/educational books and later in life, a lot of biographies. He didn't go in for poetry at all that I know of. Would like to avoid 'Do not stand at my grave and cry'. Any reccommendations?
[more inside]
posted by everydayanewday
on Dec 13, 2012 -
27 answers
I'm trying to find a poem that contains the line "the iciest rainfalls sweeping down from the heavens."
[more inside]
posted by initapplette
on Dec 10, 2012 -
5 answers
When you rearrange the lines of this poem from ABC DEF to ACE BDF, it goes from being complimentary to critical about this... king? Maybe? What poem am I thinking of?
[more inside]
posted by wintersonata9
on Nov 17, 2012 -
11 answers
I want to print a once-off version of a long poem I've written for display; all I have so far are the words (no specific designs or illustrations or whatever). I really like the look of letterpress but it seems that letterpress places only do bulk orders. Is this true? Are there other options?
[more inside]
posted by divabat
on Nov 17, 2012 -
9 answers
HELP ME FIND THIS POET! someone was reading his or her book on the train this morning and i didn't get a chance to ask "Who is that author?"
although i did glimpse some verse, enough to know that i want to read more.
some of the lines i remember:
"in order to be structurally sound you must subject yourself to measurement"
and
"there are gods here that love us, and they want us to fuck, are you ready? have i earned another story?"
that second line is from a poem called "a guide for the world to begin."
i've been looking online but i can't find anything. i hope this looks familiar to someone. i also noticed that at the end of a book there was a note describing how the author was using ideas from the traditional tarot card deck as inspiration.
posted by zdravo
on Nov 16, 2012 -
2 answers
I'm tutoring a teen girl who loves Maya Angelou and writing her own poetry and I want to make her a book of poems to encourage/inspire her. What poems should I include?
[more inside]
posted by grokfest
on Nov 7, 2012 -
21 answers
Where can I find the text of the poem "Swabian Tale" by
Ludwig Uhland that Albert Einstein extracted the term "Valiant Swabian" to refer to himself in communication with his wife Mileva?
[more inside]
posted by zaebiz
on Nov 5, 2012 -
2 answers
I realized recently that as a college graduate with a B.A. in Philosophy, i know absolutely nothing. I want to educate myself in classic literature, great music (folk, jazz, classical), philosophy, poetry, and art. Where should i begin? The project seems overwhelming to me. I'm throwing out the TV and i want to occupy my time with material that will help me grow as an individual. Any ideas? Suggestions?
posted by hiddenknives
on Nov 4, 2012 -
21 answers
Can you suggest a poet or two to me? I'd like to have some poems to read at night before I go to sleep. I don't know anything about poetry and I'm afraid that buying something at random or because it has won a prize will leave me with poetry that is too dense and unapproachable.
[more inside]
posted by Area Man
on Oct 17, 2012 -
46 answers
For a project I'm working on, I need to find some of Emily Dickinson's most bizarre, inscrutable, puzzling, borderline-disturbing poems (or just single lines/couplets/stanzas etc.). Rather than go through all her poems trying to find them, I thought I'd ask her to see if anyone knew of any. I'll also accept poems where she talks about writing or language--I have some quotes but not anything full.
[more inside]
posted by mermaidcafe
on Oct 8, 2012 -
5 answers
What is the title/who is the author of this half-remembered poem about a mother/child relationship and peaches (I think)?
[more inside]
posted by catch as catch can
on Oct 4, 2012 -
7 answers
Hermann Hesse apparently published a book called
Bäume: Betrachtungen und Gedichte (Trees: Reflections and Poems) and I'm trying to find a version in English, because it sounds awesome.
Look.
[more inside]
posted by Cobalt
on Sep 25, 2012 -
6 answers
I am looking for literary works about mountains. I imagine they exist, because being in mountains and climbing them and seeing everything from up high is such a powerful experience. I know there are movies about this (for instance the silent ones by
Arnold Franck), and I suppose there must be an equivalent in writing. Ideally, they would be rather lyrical or poetic texts. Any ideas, hive-mind?
posted by MrMisterio
on Sep 14, 2012 -
21 answers
When I was about 15 (circa 1994), I remember listening to some sort of radio program (on NPR or similar) wherein they played an extremely bizarre bit of surreal spoken-word verse by a very young Peter Gabriel. Or at least I *think* it was Peter Gabriel. In any case, I would love to hear it again and actually learn what album/collection it came from. Presuming I didn't imagine this weird thing involving a train and a golden rod...
[more inside]
posted by aecorwin
on Jul 17, 2012 -
3 answers
I've got another "what was that thing from my childhood?" sort of question, and I've combed through Google and Amazon and Abebooks to no avail. A book of short quirky poems for children, probably illustrated. Mid 1970s. Very likely published by Scribners, we had tons of their hardcover books from an uncle who worked there (now deceased, so I can't ask him.) I
thought the title was "It May Be So, It May Be Not", which was also the title of a poem in the book that went, either partially or entirely...
[more inside]
posted by tomboko
on Jul 14, 2012 -
3 answers
