In honor of National Poetry Month Public Television has strengthened it successful Poetry Everywhere series with eight new short poetry films and the release of an iPhone app.
The new poets/poems added to the series this year are:
Marilyn Chin, The Floral Apron;
Toi Derricotte, Blackbottom;
Martín Espada, Who Burns for the Perfection of Paper;
Seamus Heaney, Blackberry Picking;
Maxine Kumin, After Love;
W.S. Merwin, Yesterday;
C.D. Wright, Lake Echo, Dear;
and Daisy Zamora, Mother’s Day.
Garrison Keillor returns as the series narrator offering a brief introduction to each poet and poem.
The films will air during unexpected moments in the public television broadcast schedule.
“With Poetry Everywhere our goal is to provide a new destination for poetry. Whether our viewers seek out the poems online, by watching public television, or through our new iPhone App, our mission is to bring these great works to a range of platforms and increase the overall accessibility to poetry in our everyday lives. It’s a wonderful gift if we can give people a moment to slow down and think about a poem.” says Brigid Sullivan, the executive producer of the series.
Maybe April isn’t the cruelest month after all.
Here is W.S. Merwin reading Yesterday:
and here is Martín Espada, reading the wonderfully titled, Who Burns for the Perfection of Paper:
You can see all 32 videos on the PBS Poetry Everywhere YouTube channel
Previously on Book Patrol:
W.S. Merwin & Friends: Four Poets Share the Stage and Their Thoughts
On Merwin-
Ben Lerner
Valzhyna Mort
Matthew Zapruder
Erin Belieu