Donika Kelly has a system: the award-winning poet and University of Iowa associate professor brings poems to her reader that are accessible and welcoming. Then, they build into an overwhelming and holy crescendo of piercing, evocative vignettes. Kelly’s latest, The Natural Order of Things (Graywolf Press), is hearty, nourishing. The crescendo in this collection brings […]
Poetry
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New Mary Oliver documentary inspires Iowa City orgs to celebrate a poet often disregarded in elite circles
Film director (and former University of Iowa professor) Sasha Waters first recalls being struck by the work of Mary Oliver as a new parent, listening to A Prairie Home Companion in her Iowa City kitchen. Years later, PBS would ask her to make a documentary about the late Pulitzer Prize-winning poet for the American Masters […]
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Josie Nabhan-Warren, a junior at Iowa City West High, is the new Iowa Student Poet Ambassador
Josie Nabhan-Warren of Iowa City West High School has been named the 2026-2027 Iowa Student Poet Ambassador, the highest honor a young writer can receive in Iowa.
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En Español: “Raza Maldita,” a poem in Spanish and English
Nadie decide donde nacer, que manos y piernas tener, con que oídos oír o con que ojos ver Algunos nos enaltece el génesis de la sangre y otros cuantos la esconden, guardando en el fondo las semillas de quienes son y fueron ¿Acaso se sonroja o sufre el halcón, delfín, o escorpión por llevar […]
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Book Review: ‘Burnt Mountain’ by Emily Wilson
The most prominent, consistent feature of these poems are the heady — even baroque, indulgent — descriptions of the natural world. (I wrote “descriptive” three separate times in my notes.) In “Heath Obscure” Wilson writes of “sumptuary / crumble underfoot” and “the meanly / spangled mollusk grays.” In another poem, “Attention,” Wilson describes “the butte […]
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Book Review: ‘Midwest Futures: Poems & Micro-Stories From Tomorrow’s Heartland’ edited by Randy Brown
Midwest Futures (Middle West Press) is a short, albeit stout collection of poems, short essays and stories that encapsulate the Midwest across time and various corners of our region. The collection ranges from science fiction to fantasy, horror (specifically the “sporror” sub-genre — that is, spore horror) and much more. This collection ultimately left me […]
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Book Review: ‘Optional Saint’ by Kelsi Vanada
Kelsi Vanada’s Optional Saint (Bench Editions) is a delicate collage of poetic styles that maintain a signature sparseness of language — the poems ask the reader to connect the dots. What’s interesting and exciting about Vanada’s poetry is that she trusts the reader and invites the reader to become part of the narrative. With brevity, […]
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Book Review: ‘Mojave Ghost’ by Forrest Gander
I read about one book of poetry a year. I enjoy poetry now, despite an adolescence spent being intimidated by it. I am thrilled that Mojave Ghost by Forrest Gander (New Directions) became my poetry book of the year. Structured with page breaks and asterisks but no formal titles, he creates something that flows effortlessly […]
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Plain Spoken: The accidental poetry of Chuck Grassley’s Twitter
You could make a decent argument that the most experimental poetry coming out of Iowa for the past 15 years had nothing to do with the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, and everything to do with Chuck Grassley’s thumbs. His Twitter/X account is nearing 15,000 tweets. His signature, unorthodox approach to punctuation, abbreviation and spelling makes clear […]
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Book Review: ‘Green for Luck’ by Margaret Yapp
Margaret Yapp’s Green For Luck (Eastover Press) is a refreshing shock to the senses. Every page asks the reader to unlearn their expectations. I hear all the time that readers want to be surprised — I even tell my own students that — but it’s been a long time since I experienced it. In Green […]
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En español: Dos poemas de Mónica Quintero Restrepo
He vivido doce días aquí me levanto a las ocho desayuno arepa como si la arepa fuera fácil de conseguir y no hubiera que pedir la harina en Amazon me lavo el pelo todos los días porque la humedad no lo deja prosperar lavo los calzones el consejo es de mi mamá porque no hay […]
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Plain Spoken: This ever-evolving American anthem recalls Iowa’s abolitionist glory days
In keeping with tradition, one dramatic beat of the presidential inauguration in January was the Naval Academy Glee Club’s performance of the “Battle Hymn of the Republic.” While it was standard inaugural fare, it was also, of course, a nauseating co-optation. A song of solidarity, bravery and liberation — an alternative national anthem — was […]
