Poetry (Video)

U.S. Poet Laureate (2004-2006) Ted Kooser is a major poetic voice for rural and small town America and the award-winning author of ten collections of poetry, most recently 2004's Pulitzer Prize-winning Delights and Shadows. Nebraskan Kooser often draws from his native Great Plains and his poems are acclaimed for their simple, straightforward style. Kooser reads from his poetry before a standing-ro...

A range of Berkeley luminaries read and discuss their favorite poems. This year's line-up: Barbara Ertter (Jepson Herbarium), H. Mack Horton (East Asian Languages), Amy Kautzman (Doe Library), Elaine Kim (Ethnic Studies), Ray Lifchez (Architecture), Cam Nguyet Nguyen (Southeast Asian Studies), Bob Osserman (Mathematical Science Research Center), Laura Perez (Chicano Studies), John Prausnitz (Chemi...

Charismatic poet Cornelius Eady uses deft paradoxes to meet the world's absurdities head-on. In a powerful reading of his own work, Eady recites like a jazz singer croons, emphasizing his poetry's hard-hitting content. Series: "Lunch Poems Reading Series" [Humanities] [Show ID: 7952]

Beat poet Michael McClure is the author of numerous volumes of poetry, plays, novels, and essays. McClure is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, the Obie Award for Best Play, and the National Poetry Association's Distinguished Lifetime Achievement in poetry. Tune in as he reads a selection of poems. Series: "Artists on the Cutting Edge" [Humanities] [Arts and Music] [Show ID: 6041]

Yusef Komunyakaa is known as a "jazz poet," a Southern writer and a "soldier poet." Author of nine books and winner of a Pulitzer Prize for poetry, Komunyakaa sets a provocative stage by rejecting the "write what you know" model in favor of the defying "write what you are willing to discover" premise. Series: "Helen Edison Lecture Series" [Humanities] [Arts and Music] [Show ID: 5640]

Trinidad resident Derek Walcott won the 1992 Nobel Prize in Literature. Walcott has published twenty volumes of poetry and is also a published playwright. Series: "Artists on the Cutting Edge" [Humanities] [Arts and Music] [Show ID: 5593]

Poet and novelist Carol Muske-Dukes reads a chapter from her novel, “Saving St. Germ” and selected poetry from “Red Trousseau.” The author accompanies these readings with comments on her work and the creative process. Series: "Artists on the Cutting Edge" [Humanities] [Show ID: 2608]

Marilyn Chin reads some of her poetry, including BARBARIAN SWEET, which she says retains ancient Chinese forms in a recognizable Western format Series: "Artists on the Cutting Edge" [Humanities] [Show ID: 595]

Poet Quincy Troupe and jazz guitarist Phil Upchurch combine spoken word and music in a fluid, dynamic performance centering on the African-American experience. Series: "Artists on the Cutting Edge" [Humanities] [Arts and Music] [Show ID: 2787]

Poet Jesus Papoleto Melendez’s experiences as “a Puerto Rican kid in Harlem” and a teacher in San Diego have informed his writing. Series: "Artists on the Cutting Edge" [Humanities] [Show ID: 2645]