Holiday Gifts


After a brief hiatus, I'm back with a brief post. Today, I'm talking about gifts. If you are still looking for something that will make you or someone you know who likes poetry happy, here are a few ideas that might help you (and all gifts that are on my wish list!).

1. A subscription to a contemporary journal you feel does a good job of displaying the best in contemporary writing. Standard big name choices with large subscriptions might be Poetry magazine out of Chicago, The Kenyon Review, or Crazy Horse. Other journals of interest to support with a donation or with an online subscription could be BOXCAR Poetry Review or MiPOesis. (Small plug for my old undergraduate journal The Broken Plate, where two poems of mine will be in their next issue, and for my graduate journal Natural Bridge. Small and dedicated staff with each journal that has continually put out an awesome product.)

2. A book of poems published by a living poet in the last five years (preferably bought at your local independent bookstore, which if you are in St. Louis should be here.

3. Two books of poems published at anytime by anyone, anywhere.

4. A membership to a national poetry advocacy organization like The Academy of American Poets where the person receives much more than their name on a list.

5. Poetry's roots are in music, and I would assume you could find one artist on the Yellow Bird Project's website that you or your cared-for-one likes. Each artist has teemed up with the nonprofit to create a t-shirt that supports that artist's charity. Click around in amazement.

6. Last but not least, there are many organizations like Oxfam, National Resource Defense Council, and Amnesty International that support environmental and social justice here and around the world. When I receive a card noting a donation has been made in my name, it inspires me–and an inspired poet has a better chance of writing inspired poems.

Happy Holidays to all, and I look forward to digging into some new poetry for the blog soon!

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