Allen Ginsberg: In the Prophetic Tradition of Whitman and Blake (03:45)

FREE PREVIEW

Poet Allen Ginsberg urges new poets to "take a friendly attitude towards your thoughts." Ginsberg, the most celebrated of Beat poets, is a lifelong critic of American culture and politics. He writes in the prophetic tradition of Blake and Whitman.

Allen Ginsberg and Meditation (02:54)

At the Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festival, poet Allen Ginsberg leads his audience in a mindfulness meditation.

Allen Ginsberg Reads His Poetry (04:39)

Poet Allen Ginsberg accompanies himself on a musical instrument while he sings "Do the Meditation Rock." Ginsberg reads from "Ballad of the Skeletons."

Poet Le Thuy (05:51)

From South Vietnam, Le Thuy and her poem explore the refugee experience of being adrift between the geography of memory and the geography of land. She reads her poem "Big Girl Little Girl."

Poetry and History (02:50)

Poet Yusef Komunyakaa reads "History Lessons."

Li-Young Lee: Poetry About Memory (02:34)

Poet Li-Young Lee reads "Interrogation." He discusses memory and forgetting with his audience at the Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festival.

Poets' Views of History (04:33)

Poets Louis Jenkins and Robert Hass discuss poetic interpretations of personal and political history.

Poet Robert Hass (07:08)

Reflecting his deep regard for both Asian and European culture, Robert Hass's poems question everyday assumptions about who we are and how we live. Hass reads selections from his poetry.

Poet Mark Doty (04:01)

Embodying rare empathy for all human life, Mark Doty's poems consider what is beyond our control as they make room for dignity and the possibility of grace. He reads from "Michael's Dream."

Poetry of Social History (03:40)

Poet Mark Doty reads one of his earlier poems called "Charlie Howard's Descent." It tells the story of a young gay man thrown from a bridge by teenagers. Doty explains what the poem means to him.

Poet Marie Howe: Personal Poetry (04:34)

Amplified by her keen awareness of the spiritual dimensions of everyday life, Marie Howe's poems address the most intimate moments of personal experience. Howe reads selections from her poetry.

Marie Howe: Poem to a Brother (02:43)

Poet Marie Howe reads poetry about her friends and family lost to the AIDS pandemic. "What the Living Do" is a poem addressed to her deceased brother.

Poet Yusef Komunyakaa (05:25)

Yusef Komunyakaa, a Vietnam veteran and the first African-American man to win the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, writes poem that distill a combination of beauty and terror. He reads from his collection of poems.