This research examined how Rumi's poetry impacts the lives of individuals who study his teachings, written 800 years ago in his masterpiece, "Mathnawi." After teaching Rumi for the last 15 years, I was aware of positive changes in my students' lives but wanted a more in-depth understanding of what drew the students to Rumi's poetry and…

In this article, Susan Weinstein and Anna West embark on a critical analysis of the maturing field of youth spoken word poetry (YSW). Through a blend of firsthand experience, analysis of YSW-related films and television, and interview data from six years of research, the authors identify specific dynamics that challenge young poets as they…

The ideas of four contemporary poets--Ann Deagon, Lyn Lifshin, Marge Piercy, and Alice Walker--concerning the oral interpretation of poetry are presented in this paper. The poets' ideas relate to the following topics: (1) the importance of reading poems aloud; (2) reasons why they give poetry readings, and effects of their poetry readings on their…