I received this book as a gift years ago from my dearest friend, Sandy. This treasure trove of Jackie’s favorite poems was hand-picked by her daughter, Caroline Kennedy.
The book is divided into categories such as: young poems, patriotic poems, poems about love, adventure, escape, and reflection. Jackie was a huge lover of the arts and she shared that love with her children. As Caroline explains in one of the little introductions that she includes before each section (which are delightfully … [Read more...] about The Best-Loved Poems of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis

I met author and poet Clint Smith several years ago at a conference we were both speaking at. I heard his speech and was uber impressed with his eloquence, insights, and positions on social justice. Prior to that, I had heard him interviewed on NPR where he read a few of his poems aloud. I immediately bought his first book of poetry, Counting Descent. I was blown away not only by the power of the poems but by his ability to share his experience of what it means to be a Black man in American … [Read more...] about Counting Descent

Aimee Nezhukumatathil writes the foreword to this wonderful collection of poems about gardens and the hands that tend them. Nezhukumatathil is a poet and the author of one of my favorite books World of Wonders—which is astonishing. In her forward to this collection of poems Leaning Toward Light, she writes, “I’ve been tickled for years to learn that the word anthology means a ‘gathering of flowers.’ Even if your garden grows vegetables or fruit, flowers need to bloom to make the harvest … [Read more...] about Leaning Toward Light

Billy Collins was Poet Laureate in 2001 and he wanted to keep the love of poetry alive, especially among teenagers. As he notes, “High school is the focus of my program because all too often it is the place where poetry goes to die.” He gathered a series of 180 poems that were short, clear, and that anyone could basically get in one hearing. The number matched the approximate number of days kids are in school, and he encouraged schools to read a poem a day over the loud speaker during … [Read more...] about Poetry 180: A Turning Back to Poetry