By creating a space to take us outside ourselves, poems cast an almost mystical spell. Two new collections prove the point.

It’s National Poetry Month this April. Is it worth celebrating? After all, poetry doesn’t seem to be doing much to alleviate the tension in our communities. Ask some of the middle schoolers I’ve ...

A subscriber to this magazine writes with a problem: “Although I have advanced university degrees, I have never ‘gotten’ poetry.” He’s not alone; I hear the same thing regularly from people who love ...

Weeks after the coronavirus pandemic started taking root in the United States, editor Alice Quinn wanted to capture that sudden rupture of daily life. Quinn sensed that poets, taking on "the role of ...