Front page of The Kentucky Inter-Prison Press

Featured Poem from the APN Collection: Lonely Nights

A jarring dose of humanity comes with the 1979 poem by Reva Walker at the Kentucky Correctional Institution for Women.
From The Wilton Diptych, c. 1395-99

Animal Teachers and Marie de France

The twelfth century poet Marie de France used animals to teach lessons of courtly love.
A typewriter on a black background

Writing Poetry in Prison as an Act of Resistance

A writer recounts her uncle's experiences writing poetry in prison and advocating for Indigenous rights. His death and his typewriter are intertwined.
Scholar Reclining and Watching Rising Clouds, an illustration of a poem by Wang Wei

Wang Wei, Poet of Buddhist Emptiness

Focusing almost exclusively on nature, the Tang Dynasty poet Wang Wei expressed the philosophy of the Chan school.
From left to right: Lorna Dee Cervantes, Rubén Darío, Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, Carlos Drummond de Andrade, Eugenio Montejo, Delmira Agustini

10 Poems for National Hispanic Heritage Month

One of the most meaningful ways to celebrate the month between September 15 and October 15 may be to lend our attention to verse.
Three cats singing by Louis Wain

Six Cat Poems That Aren’t That Owl and Pussycat One

There's nothing practical about these felines. Meow.
A portrait of Audre Lorde from the cover of the July/August 1988 issue of WomaNews

Ten Poems by Audre Lorde

The esteemed poet is author of Sister Outsider, one title on the Schomburg Black Liberation Reading List. Read free related content on JSTOR.
Dizzy Gillespie

What Is Jazz Poetry?

The form flourished in the 1950s, as poets and musicians inspired each other to new heights.
Edward Thomas

Poetry from the Trenches of WWI

Tragically killed in action during the Battle of Arras in 1917, Edward Thomas was on the verge of a breakthrough.
Richard Wright sits in an armchair with his hand to his chin, 1950s.

The Haiku of Richard Wright

As he lay bedridden with dysentery, the author wrote an astonishing number of haiku. What inspired him?