Four American Poets

This series explores the work of four American writers whose poetry is testimony to the timelessness of literature and the creative process.  Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson, the giants of nineteenth-century American poetry, have exerted a tremendous influence on succeeding generations of poets. 

Though vastly different in style and technique, they have much in common in terms of what accounts for their ongoing preeminence in the pantheon of American literature.  Billy Collins and Mary Oliver are two contemporary poets whose work has achieved great critical acclaim as well as a large and loyal readership.  While speaking directly to modern audiences, their poetry is part of a tradition that can be traced back to their illustrious predecessors. 

Though presented as independent discussions of each poet, the four-part series will also touch on themes common to all that illustrate their shared relationship in the landscape of American poetry.

Readings:

Leaves of Grass, Walt Whitman

Final Harvest, Emily Dickinson

Sailing Alone Around the Room, Billy Collins

New and Selected Poems, Vol. 1, Mary Oliver