"What is life?" we ask. "Just one darned thing after another," the cynic replies. Yes, a multiplicity of forces and interests, and each of them, even the disagreeable, may be of real help to us. It's good for a dog, says a shrewd philosopher, to be pestered with fleas; it keeps him from thinking too much about being a dog. - Summary by from the poem preface

A comic rendering in verse of well-loved Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm, each ending with a moral and full of puns. The titles of the tales themselves make another verse.

volunteers bring you 28 recordings of The Bee by H. P. Nichols. This was the Weekly Poetry project for June 21, 2020. ----- Some practical advice to a child, taken from Cousin Hatty's Hymns and Twilight Stories. - Summary by David Lawrence

LibriVox volunteers bring you 16 recordings of Do You Fear the Wind? by Hamlin Garland. This was the Weekly Poetry project for February 3, 2013.Taken from An American Anthology, 1787–1900, Edmund Clarence Stedman, ed. (1833–1908).

LibriVox volunteers take us out on the prairie among the wind and blue stem with readings of In the Autumn Grass by Hamlin Garland. This is the fortnightly poem for November 8, 2015.

This is a volume of poetry by Hannah Flagg Gould. Ms Gould was an immensely popular author of children's poetry during her lifetime, and her poems will still be enjoyed by children as well as adults today. - Summary by Carolin

This is a collection of poetry by Hannah Lavinia Baily. They describe a number of different settings, prominently the sea in the titular poem, and bring in contemporary as well as mythical themes. - Summary by Carolin

Harold Edward Monro was an English poet born in Brussels and proprietor of the Poetry Bookshop in London, which helped many poets bring their work before the public. In his later years, Monro reflected on whether the Poetry Bookshop had fulfilled its purpose and whether it should be closed, but he was too deeply attached to it. According to the English literary historian Dominic Hibberd, "By now Monro was a disappointed man, appalled at the state of Europe and feeling forgotten by the poets he had helped." He had used up most of his money in subsidizing the shop. - Summary by Wikipedia

LibriVox volunteers bring you 9 recordings of Eliza Crossing the River by Harriet Beecher Stowe. This was the Fortnightly Poetry project for April 27th, 2014.Harriet Beecher Stowe was an American abolitionist and author. Her novel Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852) was a depiction of life for African Americans under slavery; it reached millions as a novel and play, and became influential in the United States and United Kingdom. It energized anti-slavery forces in the American North, while provoking widespread anger in the South...

Librivox volunteers bring you ten readings of Still, Still, with Thee by Harriet Beecher Stowe. This hymn written by the author of Uncle Tom's Cabin was the weekly poem for December 14 - 21, 2014.

After writing two volumes on Misrepresentative Men, in which Harry Graham satirized ancient and contemporary famous men, a volume on the famous ladies was necessary. This volume contains several humorous poems on famous women, as well as some other humorous verses. Summary by Carolin

This is a volume of poetry by newspaperman-poet Harry Lee Marriner, published in 1910. Many of the poems are on the joyous days then, reflecting on childhood and the simpler times, with a measure of nostalgia and pathos, which the author uses to advantage for his poetry. - Summary by Carolin

volunteers bring you 19 recordings of Sonnet IV by Hartley Coleridge. This was a Weekly Poetry project for September 20, 2020. ------ The second of two poems celebrating the birthday of Hartley Coleridge, this one taken from Poems of Hartley Coleridge, Volume II. - Summary by David Lawrence

volunteers bring you 13 recordings of Sonnet IX by Hartley Coleridge. This was a Weekly Poetry project for September 20, 2020. ------ Hartley Coleridge, was an English poet, biographer, essayist, and teacher. He was the eldest son of the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge. His sister Sara Coleridge was a poet and translator, and his brother Derwent Coleridge was a scholar and author. Hartley was named after the philosopher David Hartley. A pair of Weekly Poems celebrate his birthday this Sunday. - Summary by Wikipedia

LibriVox volunteers bring you 18 recordings of At Ease on Lethe Wharf, by Helen Coale Crew. This was the Weekly Poetry project for April 14th, 2013.Helen Coale Crew was an American poet and novelist. Her touching evocation of forgetfulness comes from the Chicago Anthology, published in 1916. Lethe refers to the first river that souls bound for the Elysian Fields, the Heaven of the ancient Greeks, had to cross. Drinking from the river was said to have the effect of expunging all memories.

This is a collection of 24 sonnets and 27 poems in other form by American poet, writer, racehorse owner and breeder, socialite, and philanthropist Helen Hay Whitney. - Summary by Carolin

Helen Hunt Jackson is probably most famous for her work on behalf of Native Americans’ rights. However, this short volume presents a sonnet for each month of the year, devoted simply and beautifully to the shifting wonder of nature through the seasons.

Helen Maria Hunt Jackson, born Helen Fiske was an American poet and writer who became an activist on behalf of improved treatment of Native Americans by the U.S. government. She described the adverse effects of government actions in her history A Century of Dishonor (1881). Her novel Ramona* (1884) dramatized the federal government's mistreatment of Native Americans in Southern California after the Mexican–American War and attracted considerable attention to her cause. Commercially popular, it was estimated to have been reprinted 300 times and most readers liked its romantic and picturesque qualities rather than its political content...

Helen Hunt Jackson wrote poetry, nonfiction and fiction and was a popular author in her own time. This sonnet sequence reviews the months of the year and demonstrates her poetic talent. - Summary by Newgatenovelist

volunteers bring you 13 recordings of Morn by Helen Hunt Jackson. This was the Weekly Poetry project for March 8, 2020. ------ Helen Hunt Jackson was an American poet and writer who became an activist on behalf of improved treatment of Native Americans by the United States government. This poem about waking up in the morning is from the collection Sonnets and Lyrics .

volunteers bring you 12 recordings of Weed or Flower by Helen Leah Reed. This was the Weekly Poetry project for September 22, 2019. ------ American teacher and author; known for her children's books, which were entertaining as well as educative, the best remembered being her Brenda series of novels. - Summary by Wikisource

Peer is a dreamer, liar, excellent storyteller and an irresponsible person who avoids all problems. He uses and discards women and looks towards the grandiose, the unattainable. Despite of this, one can't help but like and feel sorry for Peer, as it is easy to recognize something of yourself in him. Peer Gynt is the most well known Norwegian play throughout history and is based loosely on the folklore about Per Gynt. It is a dramatic poem in five acts, and has been aptly described as the story of a life based on procrastination and avoidance. The play is said to be a confrontation with the flock mentality Ibsen meant to recognize the typical Norwegian.

Henry Austin Dobson, commonly Austin Dobson, was an English poet and essayist. His official career was uneventful, but as a poet and biographer he was distinguished. Those who study his work are struck by its maturity.It was about 1864 that he turned his attention to writing original prose and verse, and some of his earliest work was his best. It was not until 1868 that the appearance of St Paul’s, a magazine edited by Anthony Trollope, gave Harry Dobson an opportunity and an audience; and during the next six years he contributed some of his favourite poems, including “Tu Quoque,” “A Gentleman of the Old School,” “A Dialogue from Plato,” and “Une Marquise...

Kendall was born in a settler's hut by Yackungarrah Creek near Ulladulla, New South Wales, Australia. He was registered as Thomas Henry Kendall, but never appears to have used his first name. His three volumes of verse were all published under the name of "Henry Kendall". ( Wikipedia )

volunteers bring you 18 recordings of After Many Years by Henry Kendall. This was the Fortnightly Poetry project for April 19, 2020. ------ Henry Kendall was the first Australian poet to draw his inspiration from the life, scenery and traditions of the country., from the Biographical Note by Bertram Stevens

Henry Archibald Hertzberg Lawson was an Australian writer and poet. Along with his contemporary Banjo Paterson, Lawson is among the best-known Australian poets and fiction writers of the colonial period and is often called Australia's "greatest short story writer".

MANY of the verses in this volume ) appeared originally in the SYDNEY Bulletin, others in the Daily Telegraph, Town and Country Journal, Evening News, World's News, Australian Star, Amateur Gardener, and KALGOORLIE Sun, while eleven are reprinted from The Children of the Bush, published by Messrs. Methuen and Co., London.

volunteers bring you 12 recordings of Reedy River by Henry Lawson.. This was the Fortnightly Poetry project for August 22, 2021. ------ This Fortnightly Poem is taken from Verses Popular and Humorous . This was the second collection of poems by Australian poet Henry Lawson. - Summary by David Lawrence

Henry Archibald Hertzberg Lawson was an Australian writer and bush poet. Along with his contemporary Banjo Paterson, Lawson is among the best-known Australian poets and fiction writers of the colonial period and is often called Australia's "greatest short story writer". He was the son of the poet, publisher and feminist Louisa Lawson. - Summary by Wikipedia

This poem tells the story of a boy in Australia who leaves the farm at harvest time. "and to run from home was a crime." The story is set in the Riverina, New South Wales in the town of Gundagai.

volunteers bring you 14 recordings of Above Lavender Bay by Henry Lawson. This was the Fortnightly Poetry project for January 10, 2021. ------ Henry Archibald Hertzberg Lawson was an Australian writer and bush poet. Along with his contemporary Banjo Paterson, Lawson is among the best-known Australian poets and fiction writers of the colonial period and is often called Australia's "greatest short story writer". This poem is taken from The Skyline Riders and Other Verses By Henry Lawson - Summary by Wikipedia

Despite the bittersweet outcome of the romance in this work, the poem still manages to conclude in an uplifting fashion. - Summary by SonOfTheExiles

Verses, Popular and Humorous was the second collection of poems by Australian poet Henry Lawson. It features some of the poet's earlier major works, including "The Lights of Cobb and Co", "Saint Peter" and "The Grog-An'-Grumble-Steeplechase". Most of the poems in the volume had been written after the publication of In the Days When the World was Wide and Other Verses in 1896. The original collection includes 66 poems by the author that are reprinted from various sources. Later publications split the collection into two separate volumes: Popular Verses and Humorous Verses, though the contents differed from the original list...

volunteers bring you 16 recordings of The Route March by Henry Lawson. This was the Weekly Poetry project for November 8, Remembrance Day 2020.

volunteers bring you 11 recordings of The Ship by Henry Lawson. This was the Fortnightly Poetry project for November 1, 2020. ------ Remembrance Day 2020; An excerpt from A Fantasy of War in the book My Army, O, My Army! and other songs by Henry Lawson - Summary by David Lawrence

Henry Lawson was an Australian writer and poet. Along with his contemporary Banjo Paterson, Lawson is among the best-known Australian poets and fiction writers of the colonial period and is often called Australia's "greatest short story writer".

The Dawn and the Day, or, The Buddha and the Christ, Part 1 is a text similar to the epic poetry of Homer or, more accurately, classic Hindu texts, such as the Baghavad-Gita.

A collection to celebrate Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s 200th birthday, on 27th February, 2007.

I sing the Song of Hiawatha,Brave of heart and strong of arm.Daughter’s son of old Nokomis,Fathered by the harsh West Wind. With its regular, beating rhythm, the Song of Hiawatha has often been parodied, but in truth, it is a powerful, emotional epic; a hero’s life, his loves and suffering. The legends and traditions of the North American Indian swirl together through the tale like a mountain stream, tumbling white over the rocks, and caressing the mossy tree roots.

Evangeline is one of Longfellow’s most popular poems and was once a great favorite with the American people. For many years almost every school child studied this poem during the middle school years. Although the decline of the reputation of the once-idolized poet has also brought neglect to this classic, it is still a very touching and expertly written work of art. It is based upon the tragic expulsion of the French settlers from Acadia (located in the Canadian maritime provinces) during the French & Indian War (1754-1763)...

Mostly a collection of story-telling poems told by a group of friends in a tavern late one night. "Tales" includes the famous Paul Revere's ride, together with poems of many tales, countries and styles.

MANUAL OF SURGERY, OXFORD MEDICAL PUBLICATIONSBY ALEXIS THOMSON, F.R.C.S.Ed.PREFACE TO SIXTH EDITION Much has happened since this Manual was last revised, and many surgical lessons have been learned in the hard school of war. Some may yet have to be unlearned, and others have but little bearing on the problems presented to the civilian surgeon. Save in its broadest principles, the surgery of warfare is a thing apart from the general surgery of civil life, and the exhaustive literature now available on every aspect of it makes it unnecessary that it should receive detailed consideration in a manual for students...

This is a collection of 51 poems by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. which include many sonnets, plus 7 translations of poems by Virgil, Ovid, Michael Angelo and others. The signature 20 minute poem, Kéramos, whisks us on an imaginary magic cloak around Europe to visit the most famous potteries of olden times, and the many edifices their ceramic art adorns and/or commemorates. Keramos is a name still used today for the study of ceramic materials both for art and for technology. 2-17 are grouped under...

volunteers bring you 25 recordings of Nature, by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. This was the Weekly Poetry project for June 20th, 2021. ------ This nostalgic poem says a lot in a few words -- masterfully comparing a mother putting her child to bed for the night, with an elderly life approaching its natural end.

This is a short volume of abolitionist poetry by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, first published in 1842. As Wikipedia notes, Longfellow himself was not entirely satisfied with his work: "However, as Longfellow himself wrote, the poems were 'so mild that even a Slaveholder might read them without losing his appetite for breakfast'. A critic for The Dial agreed, calling it 'the thinnest of all Mr. Longfellow's thin books; spirited and polished like its forerunners; but the topic would warrant a deeper tone'...

LibriVox volunteers bring you ten recordings of "The Wreck of the Hesperus” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow,the Fortnightly Poem for August 31, 2014. May we each be spared from the wreck of pride on the reef of Norman's Woe.

Taken from Poems of Places: An Anthology in 31 Volumes, Switzerland and Austria: Vol. XVI, edited by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

Dear Land of Flowers, forgive me! -- that I tookThese snatches from thy glittering wealth of song, And twisted to the uses of a book Strains that to alien harps can na'er belong. Thy gems shine purer in their native bed Concealed, beyond the pry of vulgar eyes; And there, through labyrinths of language led, The patient student grasps the glowing prize. Yet many, in their race toward other goals, May joy to feel, albeit at second-hand, Some far faint heart-throb of poetic souls Whose breath makes incense in the flowery Land. Introductory poem by H.A.G.

This is a little volume of poetry by Herbert Bashford. The subjects and style of the poems are varied, but most share a dark tone. The titular Sea appears in many of the poems as well, connecting the poems in this volume to one another. - Summary by Carolin

Frederic Herbert Trench was an Irish poet. A number of his poems were set set to music and he moved into theatrical work for a few years. - Summary by Wikipedia

A wandering king who's a war-hero doomed to roam the earth by a vengeful God, a plethora of fantastic experiences, a wife battling the invasion of suitors who wish to replace her missing husband, a son in search of his father - the Odyssey is a rich tapestry of incredible experiences and unforgettable characters. A must-read classic for anyone who wants to understand the fundamentals of Western mythology, it is a sequel to the Illiad which recounts the magnificent saga of the Trojan War. The Odyssey continues on, describing the trials and tribulations of the Greeks under the leadership of Odysseus...

Gerard Manley Hopkins (1844–89) was an English poet, educated at Oxford. Entering the Roman Catholic Church in 1866 and the Jesuit novitiate in 1868, he was ordained in 1877. Upon becoming a Jesuit he burned much of his early verse and abandoned the writing of poetry. However, the sinking in 1875 of a German ship carrying five Franciscan nuns, exiles from Germany, inspired him to write one of his most impressive poems “The Wreck of the Deutschland.” Thereafter he produced his best poetry, including “God’s Grandeur,” “The Windhover,” “The Leaden Echo,” and “The Golden Echo.”

Horatio Alger, better known for his juvenile fiction, also penned some great poetry. His Ballads, including the 8 war poems and his odes, are collected in this volume.

This is a collection of poetry and prose by Howard Saxby. These pieces are the sort of stories and poems that can be enjoyed by children because the humour in them is universal, but they are more geared towards adults. The themes and intent of the pieces are varied, with humour prevailing in most items. - Summary by Carolin

This is a collection of fun poems by West Virginia poet M. Ignatius Brennan. In his poems, the poet makes fun of the people in his surroundings, and the society in which he lived. In most instances his humor is benevolent, but can turn malicious, for instance where Kentucky and Kentuckians are concerned. - Summary by Carolin

In addition to being amusing, recipes written in a poetic form were easy to remember and used as learning tools for the young housekeeper. Many of the poems in this 1912 publication were originally published in Woman's Home Companion, Good Housekeeping Magazine, the Housewife, Table Talk, and the Boston Cooking School Magazine.

volunteers bring you 17 recordings of Fruitionless by Ina Coolbrith. This was the Fortnightly Poetry project for August 11, 2019. ------ A wistful poem, capturing in a few lines the joy and industry of 3 of natures creations , with the listlessness we humans sometimes feel.

This is a collection of poems by American poet Irene Curtis. These poems were collected by friends and family after her death in 1916, at only 26 years of age. This book of poems is divided into two parts. The first is a collection of poems in dialect, lending an extra voice to the community of people of colour with which she grew up in the South of the United States. The second is a collection of miscellaneous poems. All of the poems shine with a special warmth and love, which make it a pleasure to read them. - Summary by Carolin

A few years ago, while recovering from an illness, I conceived the idea of writing some reminiscent lines on country life in the Wayne Highlands. And during the interval of a few days I produced some five hundred couplets,—a few good, some bad and many indifferent—and such speed would of necessity invite the indifferent. A portion of these lines were published in 1907. However, I had hoped to revise and republish them, with additions of the same type, at a later date as a souvenir volume of verses for those who spend the summer months among these hills—as well as for the home-fast inhabitants...

These superb poems by the hymnist and theologian Isaac Watts emphasize the importance of developing a positive moral outlook and stress the significance of maintaining vigilance to avoid the pitfalls of everyday life. But although Watts stresses the urgency of heeding the advice outlined in these verses, he delivers his message with divine charm and subtle counsel - never with chastisement, reprimand or rebuke. These inspiring works constitute a written ethical compass for all who are tempted...

This small volume of inspirational verse is a collection of the timeless work of the hymnist and theologian, Isaac Watts. Carefully and tactfully conceived, each of these motivational poems contains a valuable lesson relevant to youth's quest for moral guidance in a world of uncertainties and unknowns. But lest these poems be construed as pedantic lectures demanding righteous behavior, the listener will be pleased to discover instead a series of uplifting narratives intended not to admonish but to advise, not to reprimand but to recommend...

Ivan Sergeyevich Turgenev was a Russian novelist, short story writer, poet, playwright, translator and popularizer of Russian literature in the West. This taken from his DREAM TALES AND PROSE POEMS translated by Constance Garnett She was an English translator of nineteenth-century Russian literature. Garnett was one of the first English translators of Leo Tolstoy, Fyodor Dostoyevsky and Anton Chekhov and introduced them on a wide basis to the English-speaking public. - Summary by Wikipedia

volunteers bring you 15 recordings of On The Sea by Ivan Turgenev. This was the Weekly Poetry project for April 14, 2019. ------ Ivan Sergeyevich Turgenev was a Russian novelist, short story writer, poet, playwright, translator and popularizer of Russian literature in the West. Constance Clara Garnett was an English translator of nineteenth-century Russian literature. Garnett was one of the first English translators of Leo Tolstoy, Fyodor Dostoyevsky and Anton Chekhov and introduced them on a wide basis to the English-speaking public. - Summary by wikipedia

A collection of poems by the Gloucestershire-born English poet Ivor Gurney describing his feelings about the First World War, during which he served on the Western Front and was wounded by a mustard gas attack, and its aftermath. - Summary by Alan Mapstone

To My Buddies Of the U. S. Army—some three million in number; Of the 90th Division more specifically, and Particularly to the 315th Engineers, to which Regiment I was “attached for rations,” Being a Liability of Company “E,” This little Volume is Dedicated. - Summary by Author

James Allen was a British philosophical writer known for his inspirational books and poetry and as a pioneer of the self-help movement.In the introduction Lily Allen writes: "It cannot be said of this book that James Allen wrote it at any particular time or in any one year, for he was engaged in it over many years and those who have eyes to see and hearts to understand will find in its pages the spiritual history of his life. It was his own wish that The Divine Companion should be the last manuscript of his to be published. 'It is the story of my soul,' he said, 'and should be read last of all my books, so that the student may understand and find my message in its pages.'"

volunteers bring you 6 recordings of At the Closed Gate of Justice by James David Corrothers. This was the Weekly Poetry project for February 16, 2020. ------ Continuing with our February Black History Month theme, this Weekly Poem is from The Book of American Negro Poetry by James Weldon Johnson . James David Corrothers was an African-American poet, journalist, and minister whom editor T. Thomas Fortune called "the coming poet of the race." When he died, W. E. B. Du Bois eulogized him as "a serious loss to the race and to literature." - Summary by Wikipedia

This is a collection of poems by James Elroy Flecker.

Of all recent poets of his kind, Flecker is the most successful. The classical tradition of poetry has been mocked and mutilated by many of the noisy young in the last few years. Flecker was a poet who preserved the ancient balance in days in which want of balance was looked on as a sign of genius. That he was what is called a minor poet cannot be denied, but he was the most beautiful of recent minor poets. by Robert Lynd; Ch 9 - James Elroy Flecker )

volunteers bring you 15 recordings of My Brigantine by James Fenimore Cooper. This was the Weekly Poetry project for December 26, 2021. ----- After a stint on a commercial voyage, James Fenimore Cooper served in the U.S. Navy as a midshipman, where he learned the technology of managing sailing vessels which greatly influenced many of his novels and other writings. Cooper, beloved though he is as a novelist, hasn't drawn much attention for his poetry. Here is one of his pieces expressing his appreciation for a beautiful ship, taken from his 1830 novel "The Water-Witch". - Summary by TriciaG

Chamber Music is a collection of poems by James Joyce, first published in May of 1907. The collection originally comprised thirty-four love poems, but two further poems were added before publication (”All day I hear the noise of waters” and “I hear an army charging upon the land”). Although the poems did not sell well, they received some critical acclaim. Ezra Pound admired the “delicate temperament” of these early poems, while Yeats described “I hear an army charging upon the land” as “a technical and emotional masterpiece”...

LibriVox volunteers bring you 13 recordings of Lines Addressed to an Old Bachelor by James McIntyre. This was the Weekly Poetry project for January 27, 2013.Another poem from Canada's cheese poet, James McIntyre.

This is the second part of James Russell Lowell's collected poems: the Miscellaneous Poems. This series of poems covers, as the title implies, a wide range of topics, shaped into Lowell's beautiful poetry. - Summary by Carolin

James Russell Lowell was an American Romantic poet, critic, editor, and diplomat. He is associated with the Fireside Poets, a group of New England writers who were among the first American poets who rivaled the popularity of British poets. These poets usually used conventional forms and meters in their poetry, making them suitable for families entertaining at their fireside. "Lowell's poem "The Present Crisis," an early work that addressed the national crisis over slavery leading up to the Civil War, has had an impact in the modern civil rights movement...

LibriVox volunteers bring you 8 recordings of The Voyage to Vinland by James Russell Lowell. This was the Fortnightly Poetry project for March 10, 2013.Although this version of the poem is sometimes printed separately, it is really only part of a longer poem (approximately one fifth of the whole). The complete work has 3 parts and this is only part of the last section. Only about one fourth of Gudrida's song of prophecy is included here.

The soul of Irish wit is captured in this unique tale of a barstool philosopher, the concluding story from 'Here Are Ladies' by James Stephens. (Introduction by iremonger)

James Thomas Fields was an American publisher, editor, and poet. At the age of 14, Fields took a job at the Old Corner Bookstore in Boston. His first published poetry was included in the Portsmouth Journal in 1837 but he drew more attention when, on September 13, 1838, he delivered his “Anniversary Poem” to the Boston Mercantile Library Association.

The Seasons is a series of four long poems in blank verse by the Scottish poet James Thomson, each poem describing one of the four seasons. The poems are replete with various scenes of nature described with loving detail, as well as Thomson's view of the proper relationship between humans and nature, which anticipates the attitudes of the Romantics. "Spring," which was published in 1728, first brought Thomson to mainstream attention. He followed it up with "Summer," "Winter," and "Autumn," publishing all four as The Seasons in 1730...

Here is a sweet little poem to touch your heart and share with your best friends. The words are heartfelt, simple and trip off the tongue in sing-song fashion. The challenge becomes, as my English teacher and the poetry pundits oft complain of, how to read it without that sing-song pattern becoming monotonous. Let's see how ourers do. - Summary by Michele Fry

James Weldon Johnson was an American author, educator, lawyer, diplomat, songwriter, and civil rights activist. Johnson is best remembered for his leadership within the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), where he started working in 1917, being chosen as the first black executive secretary of the organization, effectively the operating officer. He was first known for his writing, which includes poems, novels, and anthologies collecting both poems and spirituals of black culture.

LibriVox volunteers bring you 14 recordings of "Sunset in the Tropics." This is the Weekly Poetry for the week of August 10, 2014.The author of this poem, James Weldon Johnson, served as U. S. Consul to Venezuela and Nicaragua, was an early leader in the NAACP and contributed to the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s. He had a broad appreciation for black artists, musicians and writers, and worked to heighten awareness of their creativity. (from Wikipedia)

Riley was an American writer known as the “Hoosier poet”, and made a start writing newspaper verse in Hoosier dialect for the Indianapolis Journal in 1875. His favorite authors were Burns and Dickens. This collection of poems is a romanticized and mostly boy-centered paean to a 19th century rural American owning-class childhood. I’ve included the pieces I did because they’re the ones I most enjoyed when I read a copy of the collection handed down from my great-grandfather.

James Whitcomb Riley was an American writer, poet, and best selling author, born in the town of Greenfield, Indiana. During his lifetime he was known as the "Hoosier Poet" and "Children's Poet" for his dialect works and his children's poetry respectively. His poems tended to be humorous or sentimental, and of the approximately one thousand poems that Riley authored, the majority are in dialect.

James Whitcomb Riley was an American writer, poet, and best-selling author. During his lifetime he was known as the "Hoosier Poet" and "Children's Poet" for his dialect works and his children's poetry respectively. His poems tended to be humorous or sentimental, and of the approximately one thousand poems that Riley authored, the majority are in dialect. Riley began his career writing verses as a sign maker and submitting poetry to newspapers. Thanks in part to an endorsement from poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, he eventually earned successive jobs at Indiana newspaper publishers during the latter 1870s...

volunteers bring you 16 recordings of Lockerbie Street by James Whitcomb Riley. This was the Fortnightly Poetry project for August 28, 2022. ------ James Whitcomb Riley was an American writer and poet, who lived in Indianapolis. Here among his books and his souvenirs, the poet spent his happy and contented days. To reach this restful spot, the pilgrim must journey to Lockerbie Street, a miniature thoroughfare half hidden between two more commanding avenues. It is little more than a lane, shaded, unpaved, and from end to end no longer than a five minutes' walk, but its fame is for all time.

James Whitcomb Riley was an American writer, poet, and best-selling author. During his lifetime he was known as the "Hoosier Poet" and "Children's Poet" for his dialect works and his children's poetry respectively. His poems tended to be humorous or sentimental, and of the approximately one thousand poems that Riley authored, the majority are in dialect. His famous works include "Little Orphant Annie" and "The Raggedy Man".

volunteers bring you 23 recordings of If I knew What Poets Know by James Whitcomb Riley. This was the Weekly Poetry project for July 5, 2020. ------Riley's chief legacy was his influence in fostering the creation of a Midwestern cultural identity and his contributions to the Golden Age of Indiana Literature. With other writers of his era, he helped create a caricature of Midwesterners and formed a literary community that produced works rivaling the established eastern literati. There are many memorials dedicated to Riley, including the James Whitcomb Riley Hospital for Children.

James Whitcomb Riley was an American writer, poet, and best-selling author. His poems tended to be humorous or sentimental, and of the approximately one thousand poems that Riley authored, the majority are in dialect. His famous works include "Little Orphant Annie" and "The Raggedy Man". - Summary by Wikipedia

volunteers bring you 18 recordings of Pansies by James Whitcomb Riley. This was the Weekly Poetry project for May 3, 2020. ------ Another ode to Spring and one of the popular flowers starting to bloom. Taken from Rhymes of Childhood by James Whitcomb Riley - Summary by David Lawrence

Lockwood, Brooks & Co. Have nearly ready the volume of “Easter Hymns” selected by Miss J.E.C. Chapman, an accomplished lady of Boston, and introduced by a note from her uncle, Rev. Dr. J.I.T. Coolidge. The hymns are excellently chosen, and the volume will be brought out in tasteful style. It will commend itself to the favor of all Episcopalians, and to the devout in all denominations, to whom Easter is not a mere churchly date but a day of deep and glad significance. – The Publisher’s Weekly, March 18th, 1876.

This early 19th-century children's poetry collection by Jane and Ann Taylor is little-known today, but contains the original version of Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, known then as just The Star. Also included are poems about why you shouldn't kill kittens, birds and flies, a poem about how you can be seriously scarred if you play with fire, and a poem about a homeless man who cries himself to sleep because of how naughty he was a child.

To take you back to your childhood, LibriVox volunteers bring you 28 recordings of The Star by Jane Taylor. This was the Weekly Poetry project for March 24, 2013.

Several of La Fontaine’s fables, translated into English by W. T. Larned.

LibriVox volunteers bring you 8 recordings of The Old Man and the Ass by Jean de La Fontaine. (There was no translator acknowledged in the text.) This was the Weekly Poetry project for July 7, 2013.Jean de La Fontaine was the most famous French fabulist and one of the most widely read French poets of the 17th century. He is known above all for his Fables, which provided a model for subsequent fabulists across Europe and numerous alternative versions in France, and in French regional languages.According to Flaubert, he was the only French poet to understand and master the texture of the French language before Hugo...

Jean de la Fontaine's fables were very well-known all over Europe during his life, and are now slowly being rediscovered. This edition contains 240 fables or fairy tales and a biography of Jean de la Fontaine and Aesop, containing the most well-known fables in existence, as well as some lesser-known fables and stories. Walter Thornbury's translation furthermore sets the fables into memorable rhymes. - Summary by Carolin

This is the second part of a collection of poetry written by English female poets. This part of From Queen's Gardens is a collection of 30 poems by Jean Ingelow. - Summary by Carolin

Jean McKishnie Blewett (4 November 1862 – 19 August 1934) was a Canadian journalist, author and poet. Blewett was a regular contributor to The Globe, a Toronto newspaper and in 1898 became editor of its Homemakers Department. In 1919, assisted by the Imperial Order of the Daughters of the Empire, she published a booklet titled Heart Stories to benefit war charities. During this time she regularly lectured on topics such as temperance and suffragism. She used the pseudonym Katherine Kent for some of her writing...

This is a volume of poetry by Jean Blewett. In this collection, the Canadian poet's most beautiful love songs and poetry is brought together. - Summary by Carolin

volunteers bring you 9 recordings of Christy and The Pipers by Jean McKishnie Blewett. This was the Fortnightly Poetry project for November 4, 2018. ------ This poem, set in Scotland, tells of a woman's reaction to the Pipes .

This poem is taken from A Book of Women’s Verse published in 1921. (