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Essays

Home
Essays

‘Apollo, Mnemosyne, and Poetry’: A Chapter from James Sale’s Gods, Heroes and Us

The Society
May 20, 2025
Essays, Poetry
19 Comments
. Apollo, Mnemosyne, and Poetry Chapter 9 from Gods, Heroes and Us (Bruges Group, May, 2025) by James Sale Our last chapter discussed the imperative for distinguishing between Truth (Veritas) and Falsehood...

‘Apologia’: An Essay in Verse, by T.M. Moore

The Society
April 6, 2025
Education, Essays, Poetry
6 Comments
. Apologia "Bring…the books…" ---2 Timothy 4.13 John Calvin, writing on this verse, extolled the benefits that come from reading old and trusted writers. He agreed with Paul that there is wisdom to be...

John Neihardt’s Epic ‘Cycle of the West’: A Video by Andrew Benson Brown

The Society
March 25, 2025
Classical Poets Live, Epic, Essays, Poetry
19 Comments
. https://youtu.be/lUU-G7-7nKE . . Andrew Benson Brown‘s epic-in-progress, Legends of Liberty, chronicles the major events of the American Revolution. He writes history articles for American Essence...

Wanted: A Verse Curriculum and Pedagogy: An Essay by David J. Rothman

The Society
February 19, 2025
Essays, Poetry
7 Comments
. Wanted: A Verse Curriculum and Pedagogy David J. Rothman discusses the curriculum of the Poetry Concentration in the Graduate Program in Creative Writing at Western Colorado University, which offered a close...

The New York Times’ Attack on Shen Yun Is an Attack on Arts and Culture: SCP Editor

The Society
February 16, 2025
Essays, Poetry
14 Comments
. The New York Times' Attack on Shen Yun Is an Attack on Arts and Culture by Evan MantykSCP Editor & President In the last six months or so, the New York Times has completely lost its senses and run a...

‘The Potentate and the Pontiff’: An Essay by Joseph S. Salemi

The Society
February 13, 2025
Essays, Poetry
18 Comments
. The Potentate and the Pontiff by Joseph S. Salemi I have often argued that the formalist techniques of traditional poetry are ideologically neutral, and can be made to serve any agenda or cause. I still...

Jupiter Hammon’s Christmas Poem: An Essay by Michael Curtis

The Society
December 23, 2024
Beauty, Culture, Essays, Poetry
6 Comments
. Jupiter Hammon’s Christmas Poem by Michael Curtis 1761 was a slow, yet interesting year for poetry. The imposter Macpherson announced the discovery of Ossian’s Gaelic Epic and the collected works of the...

Six Great Dramatic Monologues by Robert Browning

The Society
December 12, 2024
Essays, Poetry
16 Comments
. Six Great Dramatic Monologues by Robert Browning by Brian Yapko The dramatic monologue is a unique type of poem: the poet enters the mind of a specific character---usually historic or literary---and then...

When Poems Are Lyrics and Vice Versa: Reflections by James A. Tweedie

The Society
December 1, 2024
Essays, Poetry, Song Lyrics
19 Comments
. When Poems Are Lyrics and Vice Versa by James A. Tweedie Lyrics are poems written to join with music to form a unity in the hope that the two together will transcend what either the words or music can...

Book Review: Uttering the Unutterable by Louis Groarke

The Society
November 27, 2024
Essays, Poetry, Reviews
30 Comments
. Book Reviewed: Uttering the Unutterable: Aristotle, Religion, and Literature by Louis Groarke, McGill-Queen's University Press, 2023 by Margaret Coats Literature is shortchanged in the modernist and...

The Trochaic Poems of Dorothy Parker: An Essay by Joseph S. Salemi

The Society
November 20, 2024
Essays, Poetry
20 Comments
. The Trochaic Poems of Dorothy Parker by Joseph S. Salemi A few poets become famous, while most go down into oblivion. But a small scattering of them are eventually categorized as “minor poets,” whose...

Great Expectations—Classical Poets Student Edition

The Society
November 16, 2024
Education, Essays, Poetry
6 Comments
. Great Expectation Classical Poets Student Edition The summary and introduction below is from a newly adapted (UK spellings Americanized and punctuation updated), illustrated, and annotated version of Great...

800 Years of the Sonnet in 12 Minutes: A Video by Andrew Benson Brown

The Society
November 12, 2024
Classical Poets Live, Essays, Poetry
11 Comments
. https://youtu.be/B9aMXFVpFEk . . Andrew Benson Brown's epic-in-progress, Legends of Liberty, chronicles the major events of the American Revolution. He writes history articles for American Essence...

‘New Directions, or Deviations?’: An Essay by Joseph S. Salemi

The Society
August 25, 2024
Essays, Poetry
25 Comments
. New Directions, or Deviations? by Joseph S. Salemi Many years ago I read an account of a discussion between Ezra Pound and an interviewer concerning his poetic career. I don’t recall where it was printed...

Tools for Writing Classical Poetry—Classical Poets Live with Andrew Benson Brown

The Society
August 25, 2024
Classical Poets Live, Education, Essays, Poetry, Video
26 Comments
. https://youtu.be/o4TS45A7KEM . Tools for Writing Classical Poetry ---adapted from the video by Andrew Benson Brown Do you want to be forgotten forever? Do you want to be obscure in the annals of history,...

Postmodernism and Poetry: Final Disintegration and Hope for Renewal, by Adam Sedia

The Society
August 7, 2024
Essays, Poetry
30 Comments
. Postmodernism and Poetry: Final Disintegration and Hope for Renewal “The only way forward from Postmodernism is as a reaction against it—not a reaction in the sense of destruction (what could be more...

A Formalist Poet at the Open Mic Part V: ‘Nose Blind,’ by Daniel Kemper

The Society
July 15, 2024
Essays, Poetry, Poetry Forms, Readings
22 Comments
. A Formalist Poet at the Open Mic Part V: Nose Blind by Daniel Kemper After a stressful day, because of issues with which you, dear reader need not concern yourself, I decided to swing by the Capital Gardens...

‘Becoming a Poet Laureate’: A Formalist Poet at the Open Mic Part IV, by Daniel Kemper

The Society
July 1, 2024
Essays, Poetry, Readings
17 Comments
. A Formalist Poet at the Open Mic Part IV: Becoming a Poet Laureate by Daniel Kemper Inflationary times. The invisible hands of markets or of governments have synchronized in some secular mysterium to...

A Formalist Poet at the Open Mic Part III: Something in the Rafters, by Daniel Kemper

The Society
June 17, 2024
Essays, Poetry
23 Comments
. A Formalist Poet at the Open Mic Part III: Something in the Rafters by Daniel Kemper I wander into the incandescent glow of the poetry center and Patrick is muttering as I walk in the door. He’s wiping...

Two Strange Poems by Joseph S. Salemi (with a Note)

The Society
June 9, 2024
Beauty, Culture, Essays, Poetry
18 Comments
. The Universal Horoscope and Zodiac Twelve figures in the blazoned zodiac Set by the gods in their unchanging track Spin in a regulated, yearly round Until an infant’s primal, wailing sound Puts an end to...

On the Meeting of Poets James A. Tweedie, Jeff Eardley, Peter Hartley, and Margaret Coats in the UK: Poems and Other Writings

The Society
June 8, 2024
Culture, Essays, Poetry
19 Comments
. In Spring 2024, UK poets Jeff Eardley and Peter Hartley crossed paths with American poets James A. Tweedie and Margaret coats in England. . . The Day That I Met Jim by Jeff Eardley The rain was horizontal...

A Formalist Poet at the Open Mic, Part II of An Essay Series by Daniel Kemper

The Society
May 6, 2024
Essays, Poetry
22 Comments
. A Formalist Poet at the Open Mic Part II: The First Reader by Daniel Kemper Keith stands up semi-gracefully in the dead center of the metal folding chairs, gives his patented sugary-surly smile, swings his...
poetry/benson brown/readings

An Interview with Poet Brian Yapko: Classical Poets Live with Andrew Benson Brown

The Society
May 5, 2024
Classical Poets Live, Essays, Interviews, Poetry
18 Comments
. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QR0MktU78bA . . Andrew Benson Brown has had poems and reviews published in a few journals. His epic-in-progress, Legends of Liberty, will chronicle the major events of...

SCP Journal XII Published—Read the Introduction & Table of Contents Here

The Society
May 1, 2024
Essays, From the Society, Poetry
. The Society of Classical Poets Journal XII has been published! It features poetry, translations, and essays selected from those published on the SCP website between February 1, 2023 and January 31, 2024....

A Letter from Incarcerated Poet D.T. Holt to the SCP

The Society
April 27, 2024
Essays, Poetry
21 Comments
. To Mr. Evan Mantyk, . I know you lead a busy life curating the Society of Classical Poets and I don’t want to waste a bunch of your time with some long-winded missive.  That being said, if you can spare a...

Are Epic Heroes Toxic?—Classical Poets Live with Andrew Benson Brown

The Society
April 21, 2024
Classical Poets Live, Culture, Essays, Poetry, Reviews
11 Comments
. https://youtu.be/ICEvMGx4WnY . . Andrew Benson Brown has had poems and reviews published in a few journals. His epic-in-progress, Legends of Liberty, will chronicle the major events of the American...

‘The Snares of Simplicity’: An Essay by Joseph S. Salemi

The Society
April 10, 2024
Essays, Poetry
37 Comments
. The Snares of Simplicity by Joseph S. Salemi Liberals, Communists, and capitalists all share one dangerous and demonically-prompted trait. They want to simplify. The complexities and nuances of any...

A Formalist Poet at the Open Mic, Part I of An Essay Series by Daniel Kemper

The Society
April 8, 2024
Essays, Poetry
18 Comments
. A Formalist Poet at the Open Mic Part I: Before the Reading by Daniel Kemper A two-story, square shaped “U” made of corrugated tin. Two theaters, a haunted attic. A gravel lot with reserved parking...

Request for Papers on Poetry and Poetics for PAMLA 2024 Conference

The Society
April 3, 2024
Essays, Poetry
1 Comment
(Advertisement) Request for Papers---PAMLA 2024 Conference Pacific Ancient and Modern Language Association . Deadline for Proposals: April 30, 2024 . Conference Details The conference will be held from...

The Ten Best Poems to Analyze

The Society
February 25, 2024
Best Poems, Education, Essays, Poetry
11 Comments
. The Ten Best Poems to Analyze by Adam Sedia The Roman poet Horace famously set forth the twofold purpose of poetry: to teach and to delight. The sheer aesthetic and imaginative language of poetry is often...

10 Poems on Builders & Buildings

The Society
February 20, 2024
Best Poems, Essays, Poetry
6 Comments
10 Poems on Builders & Buildings by Michael Curtis . Temples and architects, builders and buildings are like poets and poems, each creates rooms, stanzas, within which we and our ideas have life....
poem/bryant/shakespeare

What Happened to Great Poetry?—A Video by Andrew Benson Brown

The Society
February 8, 2024
Classical Poets Live, Essays, Poetry
33 Comments
. . . What Happened to Great Poetry? by Andrew Benson Brown When was the last time you sat down and thoroughly enjoyed a serious poem written by a poet who is still alive? If you aren’t a poet yourself...

The 10 Best Poems of Emily Dickinson

The Society
January 12, 2024
Best Poems, Essays, Poetry
34 Comments
. The 10 Best Poems of Emily Dickinson by Monika Cooper Being presented with an Emily Dickinson poem is like getting a telegram from a strange planet: our own. There may not be any words you don’t know. But...

On Poet Michael R. Burch’s Anti-Semitism and Attacks on Poets: An Essay by Joseph S. Salemi

The Society
December 14, 2023
Culture, Essays, Poetry, Satire
33 Comments
. Here We Go Again… by Joseph S. Salemi Oh dear… it looks like the hillbilly software salesman is having another moral fit. Michael R. Burch of Nashville Tennessee has posted more venomous comments about...

10 Best Poems for Funerals

The Society
December 10, 2023
Beauty, Best Poems, Essays, Poetry
25 Comments
. 10 Best Poems for Funerals by Susan Jarvis Bryant The right poem at a funeral service can make that final farewell extra special, but choosing the right one is not an easy task. I have chosen the poems below...

Art and Belief: An Essay by Joseph S. Salemi

The Society
December 3, 2023
Essays, Poetry
35 Comments
. Art and Belief by Joseph S. Salemi When I consider the question of art and belief, I recall the words of the world-famous Indian dancer, Sujata Rubener. She was born a Christian in Bombay, but she was the...

On Michael R. Burch, Poet and Editor of The HyperTexts: A Poem and Note by Joseph S. Salemi

The Society
October 23, 2023
Culture, Essays, Poetry, Satire
35 Comments
. Mike Burch Still Around? Good Lord, No… with apologies to J.C. Squire’s Ballade de l’Évolution Créatrice Strange beasts have gone to their reward— The snaky Gorgon and the Sphinx, The centaurs and...

Three Epiphanic Poems (and a Short Note) by Joseph S. Salemi

The Society
October 14, 2023
Beauty, Education, Essays, Poetry
23 Comments
. Epiphany It stays in your memory like a pealing bell, A smallish thing, an unimportant fact— The mute suggestion of a random act. What do I speak of? Listen, I shall tell: A kindness from someone you...
poetry/coats/haiku and senryu

The 23 Best Haiku of 2023

The Society
September 29, 2023
Best Poems, Essays, Haiku and Senryu, Poetry, Poetry Contests
53 Comments
. The 23 Best Haiku of 2023 Winner and Runners-up of the Society of Classical Poets 2023 Haiku Competition Judged by J. Thomas Rimer and Margaret Coats (see their remarks below) See all...
poem/salemi/limerick

‘Limericks on Good English Prose’ by Joseph S. Salemi (with Note on Fictive Mimesis)

The Society
September 17, 2023
Education, Essays, Humor, Limerick, Poetry
23 Comments
. Cantankerous Limericks on Good English Prose I love a complexly wrought sentence With phrases and colons that went thence __To make concise points __With their well-dovetailed joints And gave one no cause...
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  1. Margaret Coats on ‘What the Caterpillar Calls the End’: A Poem by Scharlie MeeuwsMay 23, 2025

    An old theme, transformed by lightly leisurely telling into the expected transcendence. The poem draws the reader through caterpillar evolution…

  2. Margaret Coats on ‘The Dyer’s Second Tale—A Medieval Heist’: A Poem by Paul A. FreemanMay 23, 2025

    Your quick-reading narrative presents a superb model of how long poems can still work, Paul. More anon, when duties leave…

  3. Margaret Coats on ‘Sonnet XIII’: A Poem by Jenna TedescoMay 23, 2025

    "I wonder what you mind then does with me?" completes the first part of this multi-level sonnet. After it, personal…

  4. Yael on ‘Sound and Fury’: A Poem by Susan Jarvis BryantMay 23, 2025

    Wow Susan, these are some sparkly verbal pyrotechnics you've dished out here. Looks like fireworks season is starting early this…

  5. Brian Yapko on ‘Sound and Fury’: A Poem by Susan Jarvis BryantMay 23, 2025

    Susan, thank you for your generous reply to my somewhat overwrought comment in which I teetered perilously close to becoming…

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