Summer Reads
Some of our favorite recent features from poetryfoundation.org
BY The Editors
The dog days of summer are upon us. In some circles, that means time for cheap-thrills beach reads. In ours, it means time for poetry of all kinds. Here we've pulled together some of our favorite essays from the past year—ranging from a fascinating essay on an influential but little-known editor named Ronald Lane Latimer and a lively exploration of poetry’s first lines to a terrific appreciation of the poet Rachel Wetzsteon. We have also made them available as a downloadable eBook you can explore at your leisure.
“Good poems weird the truth, rearrange it, re-present it, cause us to re-envision the past,” writes Camille Dungy in her wonderful craft essay. We hope these slanted views bring you enjoyment and much to think about during the days ahead.
Essay
Mystery Man
For a few years in the 1930s, Ronald Lane Latimer struck gold as an editor, publishing Stevens, Williams, and more. Then he disappeared.
Essay
Lost at Sea
Why shipwrecks have engaged the poetic imagination for centuries.
The editorial staff of the Poetry Foundation. See the Poetry Foundation staff list and editorial team masthead.