English Poetry

The final play of the Oresteia, called The Eumenides (Εὐμενίδες, Eumenídes), illustrates how the sequence of events in the trilogy ends up in the development of social order or a proper judicial system in Athenian society. In this play, Orestes is hunted down and tormented by the Furies, a trio of goddesses known to be the instruments of justice, who are also referred to as the "Gracious Ones" (Eumenides). They relentlessly pursue Orestes for the killing of his mother.

The most captivating part of perhaps the greatest epic poem ever written, Dante's Inferno still holds the power to thrill and inspire. The medieval equivalent of a thriller, Inferno follows Dante and his faithful guide, Virgil, as they traverse the complex geography of hell, confronting its many threats, macabre punishments, and historical figures before reaching the deep chamber where Satan himself resides.

From the two-term Poet Laureate of the United States Billy Collins comes his first compilation of new and selected poems in 12 years. Aimless Love combines new poems with selections from four previous books— Nine Horses, The Trouble with Poetry, Ballistics, and Horoscopes for the Dead. Collins’s unmistakable voice, which brings together plain speech with imaginative surprise, is clearly heard with every word, reminding us how he has managed to enrich the tapestry of contemporary poetry and greatly expand its audience.

Look closely. Closer. Do you see the cuts? It's not just this writer, they're on everybody. Tiny little slashes of pain from being ignored, forgotten, rejected, overlooked, called out, betrayed, victimized, demoralized, humiliated, afraid.... Through Cuts on Me, Adrienne Ijioma reports on her assemblage of wounds bitterly formed by events experienced navigating through Life.

From New York Times best-selling author Karen Kingsbury comes an unforgettable story of love struggling against all odds to snatch hope from the jaws of despair. Annie Warren’s concern for her adult son Josh has intensified ever since a drunk driver careened into him.

Nine favorite rhymes are sung on this audio to delight children.

Last week, I saw a mermaid. It's not something I'd pretend! I'd really like to catch her, so she could be my friend. But how to catch a mermaid? You don't learn this in school. We'll need to build a gentle trap and start near the tide pool. Many claim to have caught a mermaid, but can you? The newest title in the New York Times best-selling How to Catch series will have children and parents excited to see if these characters can actually pull off catching a mermaid!

Following the success of her breakout poem, "B", Sarah Kay releases her debut collection of poetry featuring work from the first decade of her career. No Matter the Wreckage presents listeners with new and beloved poetry that showcases Kay's talent for celebrating family, love, travel, and unlikely romance between inanimate objects ("The Toothbrush to the Bicycle Tire"). Both fresh and wise, Kay's poetry allows listeners to join her on the journey of discovering herself and the world around her.

Volume two of the definitive collection of Seamus Heaney reading his own work, recorded in 2009 by RTE. Volume two contains four collections published between 1979 and 1991: Field Work, Station Island, The Haw Lantern and Seeing Things.

Listen to author Marilyn Singer read this lively collection of poems about dance to the rhythm of each style. The poems are accompanied by original music.

Six hours. One marathon swim. That’s all Tully Birch needs to get her life straightened out. With the help of her best friend, Arch, Tully braves the waters of Lake Tahoe to break the record for the youngest person ever to complete the famous “Godfather swim.” She wants to achieve something no one in the world has done, because if she does, maybe, just maybe, her mom will come back.

James Crews, editor of the best-selling poetry anthologies How to Love the World and The Path to Kindness, presents an all-new collection of highly accessible, uplifting poetry celebrating the small wonders and peaceful moments of everyday life. Featuring a foreword by Nikita Gill and a diverse range of contemporary poets, including Andrea Potos, Joseph Bruchac, Julia Alvarez, Ross Gay, Ada Limon, Natalie Goldberg, Rudy Francisco, Li-Young Lee, Kimberly Blaeser, Naomi Shihab Nye, Mark Nepo, and more.

Even if you’ve never heard his name, you’ve probably met someone with his words tattooed on their skin or heard them sung at a music concert. Atticus, the anonymous young New York Times bestselling author, has taken the world by storm with his beautiful poetry and powerful, simple themes of love and strength of the human spirit. His fourth poetry collection, LVOE., is a study into himself. Using his instantly recognizable lyrical style and relatable themes, Atticus will once again dazzle listeners, inspiring them to also look within.

"The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" is one of the most beautiful and celebrated of all English poems. It is also the precursor of what would become the artistic movement known as Romanticism. In addition to this masterpiece, this recording includes some of Coleridge's finest poems, including the haunting "Kubla Kahn" and "Christabel."

Presenting a delightful collection of children's favorite Mother Goose rhymes by Tomie dePaola. Young listeners and their parents will enjoy meeting up with familiar friends, including Old King Cole, Little Bo-Peep, Jack and Jill, and many more in an audiobook that is sure to be a story-hour favorite.

Dionne Brand’s hypnotic, urgent long poem is about the bones of fading cultures and ideas, about the living museums of spectacle where these bones are found. At the centre of Ossuaries is the narrative of Yasmine, a woman living an underground life, fleeing from past actions and regrets, in a perpetual state of movement. She leads a solitary clandestine life, crossing borders actual (Algiers, Cuba, Canada), and timeless. Cold-eyed and cynical, she contemplates the periodic crises of the contemporary world. This is a work of deep engagement, sensuality, and ultimate craft.

A must-listen classic! The Rime of the Ancient Mariner is the timeless story of what happens when a daring mariner ventures into Antarctic waters. When the storm approaches, adventure begins. Experience this epic tale like you've never heard it before with crisp, gripping narration!

By any measure, Gary Snyder is one of the greatest poets in America in the last century. From his first book of poems to his latest collection of essays, his work and his example, standing between Tu Fu and Thoreau, has been influential all over the world. Riprap, his first book of poems, was published in Japan in 1959 by Origin Press, and it is the 50th anniversary of that groundbreaking book that is celebrated with this new edition.

Twelve-year-old Raj is happiest flying kites with his best friend, Iqbal. As their kites soar, Raj feels free, like his beloved India soon will be, and he can’t wait to celebrate their independence. But when a British lawyer draws a line across a map, splitting India in two, Raj is thrust into a fractured world. With Partition declared, Hindu, Sikh, and Muslim families are torn apart—and Raj’s Hindu and Iqbal’s Muslim families are among them.

The Waste Land is a seminal work of modernist poetry by T.S. Eliot. Written in 1922, this five-part poem is a portrait of its time, a work that expresses the disillusionment of the modernist era and the desperation that the generation of writers of that time was feeling....