poetry

Poet/author WALTER BARGEN planned on reading two of his poems about the migratory bird population in North America, but his own personal story of migration -- that is, a recent trip abroad with his family on a flight full of rowdy elementary school-aged children -- was too good not to tell. August 17, 2018

'Too Quick for the Living' author/poet WALTER BARGEN reads "Jack Mackerel Joins the Roman Legion." (It's about a cat.) April 6, 2018

Today Paul Pepper welcomes back author/poet WALTER BARGEN! He reads two original poems: "Utterly Gone" at [1:58], and the response, "Utterly Again," at [3:25]. Walter wrote the latter a few years ago based on a phone call he received one night from someone on the east coast. Who was on the other line, and why were they questioning the last two lines of an obscure poem about cattle mutilation written in 1977? The mystery remains unsolved! January 25, 2018

Today Paul Pepper welcomes back local author and poet WALTER BARGEN! Walter reads two warm weather-themed poems: 'Sea Fever' by John Masefield at [1:16]; and his own, 'Point Dume Screen Test', at [3:50]. March 20, 2017

Today Paul Pepper welcomes back author/poet WALTER BARGEN! Walter performs two of his original poems, "Ice Bound" [2:44] and "Civilized Sacrifice" [5:30]. Enjoy! January 3, 2017

Today Paul Pepper welcomes back YVONNE MATTHEWS and MABLE GRIMES, who perform two poems: the first is "No Assistance" at [2:17]; the second is "I Am Getting Ready to Unfold" at [4:33]. February 12, 2015

"No man but a blockhead," Samuel Johnson famously observed, "ever wrote, except for money." This is tough news for poets, since the writing they do is often less immediately profitable than a second-grader's math homework (the kid gets a cookie or a hug; the poet gets a rejection letter from The Kenyon Review). Poetry itself is tremendously valuable, of course, but that value is often realized many years after a poem's composition, and sometimes long after the end of its author's life.

Craig Roberts teaches plant science at the University of Missouri. But he also has another passion: music. He’s spent the past few years helping with a new project – a book of Christian hymns entitled “Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs.” If you appreciate poetry, there’s a good chance you’ll like this.

Looking at the big picture, hymns have always been an important part of church life -- at least, according to Mark Noll. He teaches history at Notre Dame University. He’s also co-edited books on the history of hymns in American Protestantism. 

Poet Marc McKee received his MFA from the University of Houston and his PhD from the University of Missouri, where he lives with his wife, Camellia Cosgray. He is the author of What Apocalypse? (2008). McKee will celebrate the release of his new full-length book of poetry, Fuse, 7 pm Saturday at the Columbia Art League with Melissa Range.