Spoken Word

Former U.S. Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky,
Notable Wordsmiths Read ‘Poems Out Loud’

Robert Pinsky, U.S.Poet Laureate from 1997 to 2000 and editor of the recently released Essential Pleasures: A New Anthology of Poems to Read Aloud, launched a great new site earlier this month to accompany the collection and to celebrate National Poetry Month.

Poems Out Loud, as the name suggests, features the recitation of various poems, including a couple dozen contemporary poets reading newer works. Pinsky also adds his voice—a great voice at that—with readings of poems by the likes of Milton, Keats and Ben Jonson, among others. You’ll also find a smattering of essays by and interviews with poets. 

For anyone who enjoys hearing poetry read aloud, or reading poetry aloud themselves, the site offers a worthwhile earful. While the site (tagline: “Celebrating National Poetry Month with Robert Pinsky) seems likely to be only a month-long venture, it would be nice to see it enjoy a much longer life. 

Here’s a couple of other sites to check out during—and after—National Poetry Month: Poetry Out Loud (the online home of the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation’s nationwide recitation contest) and the Favorite Poem Project (another Pinsky-created endeavor that captures, through a collection of 50 short video documentaries, individuals reading and talking about their favorite poems).