#TeachLivingPoets virtual library

Looking to bring in more contemporary poetry into your classroom but don’t know where to start? Or maybe you have a coupe favorite poems and poets, but you’re looking to add some new artists?

Thanks to my friend and rock star educator Scott Bayer, a resource now exists that you can use both as an individual teacher to explore living poets and to share with your students to allow them the freedom to inquire on their own. 

This is what you’ll find once you’re in: 

  • 24 amazing poets (we’ll be adding more eventually)
  • Links to author websites and where to buy their books
  • Social media links to follow the artists and/or learn more about them as individuals
  • Links to poem published online that are appropriate for grades 6-12
  • Audio links to the artists reading their works
  • Personalized video messages from poets about teaching living poets

Click HERE to access the interactive library. 

library1

Thank you for reading! Do you have a story, lesson, activity, or something else to share with TeachLivingPoets.com? Be a guest author! Email me at msmith@lncharter.org. 

You can follow me on Twitter at @MelAlterSmith and please tweet all the awesome things you are doing in your class with the #TeachLivingPoets hashtag! 

Related Posts

  • #TeachLivingPoets Slow Chat 2/25

    Connect your students with other classes nationwide to learn together and discuss a poem by former US Poet Laureate Juan Felipe Herrera. Here’s what you need to know to make it happen:  When: Tuesday, Feb. 25 Start time: 8am EST / 7am CST Moderator: @MelAlterSmith This will be a slow chat. We will have students active at different times of…

  • A Lesson in the Poetic Line

    Students need to realize the impact a sweet line break can have in order to truly appreciate the structure of a poem. They need to learn the difference between end-stopped and enjambed lines, and the potentialities of poetic line structure. Parts of this lesson are inspired by poet and educator Nicole F. Tong, who graciously sent me some of her…

  • Poetry Literature Circles

    This post is brought to you by Zach Czaia, a poet and high school English teacher working in Minneapolis, MN. His second poetry collection, Knucklehead, was published in 2021 with Nodin Press. Check out his poetry podcast, Open Your Hands on Spotify or Google Podcasts or follow him on social media @czaiazach.  Some Notes on Literature Circles & Poetry Collections…

  • Exploring Ted Kooser’s “Abandoned Farmhouse”

    Today’s post is brought to you by guest author Ann Cox. Ann Cox has over twenty years of experience teaching high school English, including AP Literature and Composition, Creative Writing, and Speech. She also spent several years as a teacher consultant for the Illinois State Writing Project. When she’s not working, Ann enjoys crafting, reading, and spending time with her family….

  • Word Scramble Poem

    Today’s prompt is inspired by Angelo Geter, AKA EyeAmBic, the Poet Laureate Emeritus of Rock Hill, SC. Before we dive in to the lesson, I want to share a couple of my favorite poems of his. In his collection More God Than Dead, he chronicles his journey into widowhood after tragically losing his wife, and deals with themes of grief,…

  • My Favorite Poem Project with Robert Pinsky

    This is the ninth installment in a series at #TeachLivingPoets. The Poet Laureate Project features a different U.S. Poet Laureate each month during the 2019-2020 school year. Guest author Ann Cox highlights one or two of their poems, suggests activities to use these pieces in the classroom, and touches upon their contributions to the promotion of poetry in America. Ann…

4 Comments

  1. This is a fabulous resource. Thank you for sharing.

    Karen L. Swortzel English teacher *Nothing is impossible. The word itself says “I’m possible.” * — Audrey Hepburn

    On Fri, Apr 5, 2019 at 9:12 AM #TeachLivingPoets wrote:

    > teachlivingpoets posted: “Looking to bring in more contemporary poetry > into your classroom but don’t know where to start? Or maybe you have a > couple favorite poems and poets, but you’re looking to add some new > artists? Thanks to my friend and rock star educator Scott Bayer, a re” >

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *