Mark Strand

Edward Hopper's paintings are icons of American culture. His representations of gas stations, storefronts, cafeterias and hotel rooms embody the solitude of travel and adult life in the America of the thirties, forties and fifties. Because of the familiarity of his subject matter, Hopper has been pigeon-holed both historically, as an American realist, and thematically, as an artist of alienation. Mark Strand, recent poet laureate and writer of many books of award-winning poetry, approaches Hopper's work with a fresh eye, exploring the aesthetic principles behind the paintings. Strand, whose poems move through a terrain similar to that portrayed by Hopper, possesses a unique and powerful understanding of what makes the paintings so moving and memorable. He writes with his distinctive clarity and grace, examining twenty-three of Hopper's most important works. He cites aesthetic reasons for Hopper's continuing ability to deeply move people in an America that has grown considerably more complex both politically and socially since mid-century.

In the words of its editors, Mark Strand and Eavan Boland, The Making of a Poem "looks squarely at some of the headaches and mysteries of poetic form." Here, two of our foremost poets provide a lucid, straightforward anthology for those who have always felt that an understanding of form -- sonnet, ballad, villanelle, sestina, etc. -- would enhance their appreciation of poetry. By example and explanation, the anthology traces "the exuberant history of forms," a history that unites poets as manifold as John Keats and Joy Harjo (the Ode) or Geoffrey Chaucer and Jean Toomer (the Stanza). Each chapter is devoted to one form, offering explanation, close reading, and a rich selection of exemplars that amply demonstrate the power and possibility of the form. In the end, Strand and Boland write, "we hope that the reader will agree that these forms are -- as we believe -- not locks, but keys." In linking the expressive potential of a poem to its architecture of syllable and rhyme, this collection is as instructive for the novice as it is inspiring for the practiced poet. - Jacket flap.

The Best American Poetry 1991, a volume in The Best American Poetry series, was edited by David Lehman and by guest editor Mark Strand. —Wikipedia

This is a collection of poems by many American poets, from 1940 to late 1960s. The poems therefore have a broad range, both in terms of content and style. Many of the poems are reflective, and introspective, whether it is about the self, or personal relationships, or about society at large. In many poems, the poets draw upon nature as an inspiration and metaphor for describing the emotions and feelings that are such an integral part of human life and relationships. Here is a very limited list of poets and their poems: A. R. Ammons: “Bridge”; “Corson's Inlet” Marvin Bell - “Things we dreamt we died for” Elizabeth Bishop - “At the Fishhouses” Allan Ginsberg - “A Supermarket in California” Carolyn Kizer - “The Great Blue Heron” William H. Matchett - “Water Ouzel” Sylvia Plath - “The Moon and the Yew Tree” Mark Strand (editor); “Keeping Things Whole”

A collection of favorite poems. One of them is by Stephen Crane, who wrote: "I saw a man pursuing the horizon; / Round and round they sped. / I was disturbed at this; / I accosted the man. It's futile, I said, / You can never ̓/ You lie, he cried, / And ran on."

The rising moon sees a little girl who is afraid of the night and sends down a special moonbeam to show her the many wondrous things to see during the dark hours.

The only publication of its kind, this annual anthology is made up exclusively of work by writers who have not yet published a full-length book. The poems included in this eclectic sampling represent the best from the many that have been nominated by the country’s top literary magazines and writing programs, as well as some two thousand additional poems submitted through an open online competition. The work of the fifty writers represented here provides the best perspective available on the continuing vitality of poetry as it’s being practiced today.

Offering candid accounts of the ways writers work, think, and live, a book based on a series of talks pairing writers of note at a beloved New York bookstore features conversations with such authors as Patti Smith and Rivka Galchen.

On a visit to his rich eccentric uncle, who owns many wonderful paintings, Tom is amazed when Rembrandt leaves his self-portrait and takes a walk with Tom.