Poetry Breaks: Lucille Clifton on What Poetry Is

The Poetry Breaks series is a series of videos filmed in the late 1980s and early 1990s by creator Leita Luchetti, who co-produced the series with the WGBH New Television Workshops. Poetry Breaks features short videos of internationally renowned poets reading their work, reading the work of other poets, and discussing their takes on poetry in a variety of locations. The Academy of American Poets has partnered with Luchetti to present these videos once again.

[@catherineginther2168]

I was fortunate to have been one of her students. Getting Lucille to laugh was once one of my great joys.

[@asbeautifulasasunset]

lucky you❤

[@LinguisticSugar]

Was fortunate enough to meet her before she passed... an amazing women and poet

[@felinefokus]

Wonderfully said!

[@meganb1725]

“it’s not about answers, it’s about questions. you come to poetry, not out of what you know, but what you wonder” so beautifully said.

[@k.c1126]

I think I will be putting that somewhere in a very pretty frame to remind me that questions are not "wrong" .... so many people have the wrong idea.....

[@ancientcitypoets]

"poetry is a way of living in the world". Too true.

[@tripulet]

Barely over a minute in length and her words will stick with me for years ❤

[@41yearoldnewdriver]

I love Lucille Clifton. Maryland's Poet Laureate.

[@PoetryForce]

Beautifully said

[@yukijacksonpoet]

Thank you, Ms.Clifton

[@judymoskowitz6845]

brilliant. Thankyou Lucille Clifton

[@poetryprose4810]

She is an amazing poet. She is a master poet.

[@rievans57]

To say what you mean is prose while to say other than, or more than what you mean is poetry.

[@GloriaJWimberley]

✨👏✨So true; love this✨

[@skahmed2]

Hi @poetry.org May we have permission to share this with a group of teachers in a zoom presentation? Will give attribute on slide. Thank you.

[@Poetsorg-fz4hx]

Yes, of course.

[@leomariamandy007]

I have been in a coma for millennia and thanks to ancient science which feels no compunction and momentous reluctance to catch up with modern science, I have risen...from the coma. My name is Rich Rhyme. I am the Founder and CEO of Poems For The Galaxy. Our acronym & motto is: 'PADSOUL' (poem a day sustains our universal light). It has come to my attention that the majority of galaxy brethren is far from the Heavenly Goal of reading 40 poems a year. Number 40 has profound significance in Scripture so, I don't want anyone thinking I, just, pulled it out of a numeral hat. So, the other day, a memo came across my huge desk and the Sun was just about to set before I saw it. And, I'm glad I did see it. While I was in the coma many of my duties were taken over by others and I dare not cast aspersions, but sadly, someone dropped the couplet and poetry is not being read as it was in bygone days, and in the Galaxy, there are signs of prose wielding enormous influence over the hearts and minds of our girls, boys, young women, and young men. It is with heavy heart, I acknowledge, the reading of poetry has lost much in the way of the significance and enchantment it once had; 50, 75, 100, 125, 150, 175, 200, 225...years ago. The memo, I referred to earlier, has a list of erudite families with some family members, admittedly, more willing to purchase a novel than a volume of poetry. In my gentle, non-abrasive fashion I strongly advocate for a balance between Poetry and Prose. Now, what Mom or Dad wouldn't love wrapping, a Chapbook for their 'poem hungry' child or adult child. So, Glass Poetry Press, Haymarket Books, Black Lawrence Press, are just a few examples of presses that publish chapbooks of both emerging and established poets. If you are still with me I, Rich Rhyme, fear I have taken up, too much of your time, and that being said I wish you luck in finding the poetry that will appeal to your daughter or son. A good rule of thumb is to match their interest(s) with poetry subjects. And, a good resource is, poets.org | Academy of American Poets poets. org has a formidable search engine, so matching daughter or son's interests with Poets, is as easy as getting Neptune and his brothers, Jupiter and Pluto to go to Churchill Downs and lay down some bets, after all, Neptunus Equester is a patron of horse racing and to stay away from the track is something Jupiter frowns upon. Neptune and Pluto admit to being lucky in having their brother Jupiter as ruler of Mount Olympus. I better go now...I hear those little white pills tapping the inside of my medication bottle. If this be my last communication before Christmas ["God Willing"], I heard that...have a Merry Christmas and Be Safe! Love & Peace Brother, Brother-in-law & Friend John