Sometimes I think about how hard it is to really pay attention. Most days, I’m scrolling, multitasking, or half-listening. But poetry, at least the kind that makes you stop and breathe, demands something slower. That’s what drew me to Laura Cronk’s work, which finds beauty in the unnoticed. The light shining on an iron fence,…
I’ve always been fascinated with the little things people say when they think nobody is listening. The things people say under their breath and the silent thoughts someone is obviously having when spaced out mid-conversation. Those moments, the ones that feel raw and real, not polished and tied up in a bow. I like hearing…
Throughout my life, I’ve never been fond of poetry. My schooling experience gave me a negative perspective of poetry, school would make poetry seem like a form of punishment. Instead of allowing us to freely read poetry and books, they would always tie complex poems relating to the poem or book and make us interpret…
Gbenga Adesina is a Nigerian poet who resides in Brooklyn, NY. Adesina’s childhood in Nigeria and his current residence in Brooklyn have inspired several poem collections, including his new and most popular, “Death Does Not End at Sea,” for which he was nominated and long listed for the 2025 National Book Award for Poetry. His…
When I was a little girl, I always thought of poetry as a fantasy style of writing that always rhymed, and was most commonly found through the dialogue of picture books read to me at bedtime. As I grew older, I realized it was definitely the opposite of what I had thought. Although elementary school…
As one of the few Pakistani Muslims in my community, I often find myself looking for connections to my culture in the world around me. Whether it’s new places I see passing by during a long drive, a television show I happened to stumble upon, or just in casual conversation, I search for small reflections…
Maureen McLane was born in December, 1967, and she grew up in upstate New York and studied at Oxford University, the University of Chicago, and Harvard. She is a successful poet, critic, and professor at New York University, where she teaches English. In past years, she has taught at MIT, Harvard, and East Harlem Poetry…
Growing up in a world where we’re constantly surrounded by screens, from schoolwork to conversations, poetry has always felt different to me. It’s one of the few things that I feel remains isolated and pure in my mind, asking us to slow down and think, to feel something that isn’t filtered through technology. We text,…
Amy Gerstler is a poet, a writer of fiction, non-fiction, and art criticism. She is currently developing a full-length play with artist and writer Benjamin Weissman. Gerstler has taught writing, literature, and visual art at the University of California, Irvine, California Institute of the Arts, Cal Tech, and other schools in the West. She has…
Through my training and experiences as a volunteer for a nonprofit focused on supporting dancer mental health, I have learned about different types of relationships, communication strategies, and how one’s perspective can warp their reality. My experience as an emotional leader of an organization that was created in response to the abusive relationships that arise…