Following the success of Poetry Out Loud (now in its eighth printing), an affectionate celebration of the declaimed poem, Love Poetry Out Loud now turns to the choppier waters of affection itself. From Hello, I Love You to Pleasures of the Flesh to Loves Me Not, this collection of one hundred poems shouts out life’s grand passion with the help of the voices of poets old and new. Rubin’s informed, irreverent style skillfully reveals the humor, beauty, variety, tradition, and passion of love poetry. Insightful commentary on the poems’ meanings and on ways to read them aloud, as well as notes on their history and background, are found on every page. Whether long lived like Shakespeare’s sonnets or newly-hewn like Carolyn Forché’s “Taking Off My Clothes,” Love Poetry Out Loud makes each poem as fresh and inspiring as the first time it was uttered.

Poems by a Chicano. In one he describes the bigotry he experienced in Texas as a child migrant worker: "Teach me to save myself from those who / with wrathful hand cut off the germinal hope / from my first breath on and wrecked my days." By the author of Shaking Off the Dark.

In minute-by-minute detail, Patricia Smith tracks Hurricane Katrina as it transforms into a full-blown mistress of destruction. From August 23, 2005, the day Tropical Depression Twelve developed, through August 28 when it became a Category Five storm with its “scarlet glare fixed on the trembling crescent,” to the heartbreaking aftermath, these poems evoke the horror that unfolded in New Orleans as America watched it on television. Assuming the voices of flailing politicians, the dying, their survivors, and the voice of the hurricane itself, Smith follows the woefully inadequate relief effort and stands witness to families held captive on rooftops and in the Superdome. She gives voice to the thirty-four nursing home residents who drowned in St. Bernard Parish and recalls the day after their deaths when George W. Bush accompanied country singer Mark Willis on guitar: The cowboy grins through the terrible din, *** And in the Ninth, a choking woman wails Look like this country done left us for dead. An unforgettable reminder that poetry can still be “news that stays news,” Blood Dazzler is a necessary step toward national healing. Patricia Smith is the author of four previous collections of poetry, including Teahouse of the Almighty, winner of the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award and the Paterson Poetry Prize. A record-setting, national poetry slam champion, she was featured in the film Slamnation, on the HBO series Def Poetry Jam, and is a frequent contributor to Harriet, the Poetry Foundation’s blog. Visit her website at www.wordwoman.ws.

Poems are made to read OUT LOUD! A wittily illustrated anthology of poems, designed to be read aloud. 20 poems by the award winning â??Joseph Coelho will arm children with techniques for lifting poetry off the page and performing with confidence. Perfect for confident children and shy readers alike, this book teaches all sorts of clever ways to performing poetry. Children will learn 20 techniques for reading aloud by trying out 20 funny and thoughtful original poems by the much loved and award winning performance poet, Joseph Coelho. There are tongue twisters, poems to project, poems to whisper, poems to make you laugh. There are poems to perform to a whole class and others to whisper in somebody's ear. Richly textured, warm and stylish illustration by Daniel Gray-Barnett bring each page to life. "Poetry for children is dead. Really? Not when there are young poets like Joseph Coelho" ~ Books for Keeps

Offers poems of family, history, love, and vision.

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