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Poetry: Home

Find information about poets and their poetry!

Poets

You'll need to find essays and interviews by your poet, not just biographical information about them. Many poets have their own websites with links to poetry readings they've done, as well as poems or articles that they've written. Some may have a social media presence, so investigate that as well!

ebooks

Search Overdrive/Sora to find ebooks and e-audiobooks by your poet. If you can't find one, please email Sarah or Jo to see about availability of ebooks for your poet!

Books and Essays

Search for library books by the poet


Go to the Herbst Library catalog

Interviews

Poems

Google

Interviews
Search for you poet in quotes and add the term interview.
For example: "Tracy K. Smith" Interview
Click on video to find in-person or televised interviews!

Other poet information
Search for you poet in quotes and add the term reading. Then click videos to find the poet reading their own poems and maybe talking about their lives! Some poets even have their own websites that include links to interviews, published essays, blogs, and more.

Evaluating Sources

Use CRAAP detection to evaluate sources

  • Currency: When was it written?
  • Relevance: Does it answer questions you need answered?
  • Authority: Is the author or creator an expert in the field? Is there an author listed?
  • Accuracy: Is it accurate? Do the authors cite their sources?
  • Purpose: What is the purpose of the site?

Click here for more on CRAAP

Contact your poet

Tips for communicating with a poet!

  • Poet's personal websites are a good start if they have one. Look for a contact link or page, which often give their agent's info (which you can totally use to reach out to them!).
  • If they teach (and you know where they teach), send the letter to the school they teach at, or email them at their school email address (often on their department page or school directory).
  • Find the social media platforms where their poets are active and send a DM! It's easy for the poet to hit reply, and some of poets in the past have tweeted about their interactions with 2A students!
  • Reach out to their most recent publisher (which will take the longest, so I suggest it as a final straw).
  • Email library@urbanschool.org for more help, or if you aren't sure which is the best way to connect.