Writing in his diary of 10th December, 1825, Crabb Robinson quoted from a recent conversation in which William Blake said, "There is no use in education. I hold it wrong. It is the great sin". Author believed that Blake's writings and conversations had considerable educational significance, and he considered them in this article.…

Gives a brief background on poet, Jack Collom, and presents a number of Collom's poems. (MM)

Beginning with a brief account of the history of Westminster Abbey and its physical structure, this paper concentrates on the British writers honored in the South Transept or Poet's Corner section. It identifies those recognized who are no longer thought to be outstanding, those now understood to be outstanding who are not recognized, and provides…

A summary/survey of the books of Thomas Merton is provided. (Author)

Describes a teacher's experience in presenting her students with James Dickey's poem "The Leap." Focuses on the primary visual images of the poem, the space where memory lives, the space where contemplation thrives, and the space where emotions dwell. (PRA)

This article describes poet and writer David L. Harrison. A former School Board Chairman from Springfield, MO, David was responsible for beginning an annual "Teacher Appreciation Banquet" and for launching the "Sky High for Reading" program. The "Sky High for Reading" program encourages children in Springfield to read enough books so that, if…

The author of this article provides a critical assessment on the persona in Kenneth Rexroth's poem "Doubled Mirrors." He says that the poem is a simple metaphor that beautifully illustrates something central to the human experience. Rexroth's persona tells that the two raccoons eating pears "know me and do not run away." If there is not a bond…

In an era of reductionist approaches to teaching and assessment, this dissertation returns to the fundamental question: "What is the value of writing, particularly poetry writing, in our society today?" The poet's central task, to abstract reality through symbols, requires profound cognitive and emotional work (Vendler, 2004; Steele,…

Biography is a hybrid. It is history crossed with narrative. The biographer has to present the available facts of the life yet shape their arbitrariness, untidiness, and incompleteness into an engaging whole. The readerly appeal lies in the prospect both of gaining documentary information, scrupulously researched and plausibly interpreted, and of…

To the beleaguered principal seeking direction in an attempt to examine his commitments, poetry is proffered as a way of helping him gain some fresh insights. (Author/RK)

This is an abridged and modified form of an essay that the author, professor of Greek and Latin at Barnard College, delivered at the Library of Congress symposium held last spring on the hundredth anniversary of Robert Frost's birth. (Editor/RK)

This is the seventh edition of a comprehensive list of grants and awards available to American writers for use in the United States and abroad. Generally, only those grants and prizes which have a value of $500 or more have been listed. Approximately 250 grants and awards are included, along with the address of the sponsoring organizations, any…

Since the late 1960s the poetic muse has taken on a new style called "surrealism" or the "new surrealism". Some of the movements' best known poets, such as W. S. Merwin, Robert Bly, James Wright, Charles Simic et al., are discussed through their poetry and what it may mean for the rest of us. (RK)

Provides background on poet, fiction writer, and teacher Alan Ziegler. (FL)