“If I am your worst nightmare, you need to figure out
what the fuck is wrong with your dreams.”
Congratulations to Dave Harris on topping 100,000 views! You can check out more of Dave’s work here and here.
And while you’re here, make sure to check out our books and merch as well, including our awesome t-shirts and poster and new books by Jacqui Germain and Hanif Abdurraqib!
Performing at the 2016 Southern Fried Poetry Slam.
“I like my lies the way my mother used to make them.”
Don’t miss this stunning poem from Amanda Pressman, performing at the 2016 Southern Fried Poetry Slam in Greensboro, NC.
While you’re here, head over to the Button store to check out our books and merch, including Button t-shirts in both female and unisex cuts, and books and more by many of your favorite Button artists.
Performing at the 2016 Southern Fried Poetry Slam.
“Just because you didn’t create it doesn’t mean
you don’t benefit from it.”
Don’t miss this excellent poem from Roscoe Burnems, our first video from the 2016 Southern Fried Poetry Slam.
While you’re here, head over to the Button store to check out our books and merch, including Button t-shirts in both female and unisex cuts, and books and more by many of your favorite Button artists.
“I am damn good in bed. That fact does not change just because
you are not there to be good for.”
Congratulations to Anna Binkovitz on topping 100,000 views on this fantastic poem! You can check out more of Anna’s work here, here and here.
And while you’re here, make sure to check out our books and merch as well, including our awesome t-shirts and poster and new books by Jacqui Germain and Hanif Abdurraqib!
Performing at SlamMN!
“I am no closer to making love…
or not dry-heaving at the term ‘making love’.”
Don’t miss this great poem from Eric S., performing at SlamMN! in Minneapolis.
While you’re here, head over to the Button store to check out our books and merch, including Button t-shirts in both female and unisex cuts, and books and more by many of your favorite Button artists.
“It’s hard to make sense of a heart
that speaks louder than the body it fails to fit within.”
Don’t miss this excellent poem from Beck Cooper, performing at the 2016 Women of the World Poetry Slam in Brooklyn, NY. You can check out more of Sam(ira)’s work here.
While you’re here, head over to the Button store to check out our books and merch, including Button t-shirts in both female and unisex cuts, and books and more by many of your favorite Button artists.
“Dear God, if you are a season,
let it be the one I pass through to get here.”
Don’t miss this week’s Best of Button playlist, featuring the top-viewed recent videos on the Button YouTube Channel. Today’s additions: Ocean Vuong, Crystal Valentine & Aaliyah Jihad. Congratulations poets!
While you’re here on our site, make sure to check out our books and merchandise in the Button Store, including books by Aziza Barnes, Danez Smith, Neil Hilborn and our JUST-RELEASED book from Hanif Abdurraqib!
Performing at Honey in Minneapolis.
“Writing a list of ways I could be better
and writing a suicide note are the same thing.”
Don’t miss this incredible poem from Sierra DeMulder, performing at her book release show. You can grab both of Sierra’s books on a special discount here.
While you’re here, head over to the Button store to check out the rest of our books and merch, including Button t-shirts in both female and unisex cuts, and books and more by many of your favorite Button artists.
Hello, and welcome back to another exciting week of poetry! What are you waiting for? Get clicking!
“Poetry as Dialogue: Some Thoughts on Chapbooks” by Heather Bowlan
To start off the week, here is a brief article on the history and function of chapbooks. One chapbook that’s specifically analyzed is black movie by Danez Smith, former winner of Button’s Chapbook contest (this year’s contest is open for three more days!)
The Adroit Journal’s 2016 Best of the Net Nominees
The Adroit Journal released its list of nominees for its Best of the Net Anthology, an annual collection of works from around the internet. This year’s list includes Button regulars Fatimah Asghar, Hieu Minh Nguyen, and Sam Sax. Congratulations poets!
“A New Center for Black Poetics” by Tara Jayakar
Earlier this year, three poets, Dawn Lundy Martin, Terrance Hayes, and Yona Harvey, founded the Center for African American Poetry and Poetics (CAAPP). The CAAPP is meant to be “a creative think tank to spark conversation and collaboration among poets and other artists, and to promote and archive the work of African American poets for future generations.” Check out more of the CAAPP’s work and history in this article!
2016 National Poetry Series Open Competition
This week, the National Poetry Series announced its winners of the 2016 Open Competition. Among the winners is a Button author, the ever-brilliant Sam Sax. Congratulations Sam!
“Writing to be Read Aloud” by Pat Thomson
In this blog post, Pat Thomson writes about the difficult differences between writing for the page and writing for speech. Though this is technically about academic writing and lectures, I think it has some interesting implications for page and spoken word poetry. What are your thoughts?
“Mom” by Alyesha Wise & Aman Batra
All Def Poetry recently uploaded a video of this stunning poem about feminist motherhood and raising feminist daughters. Check out the poem, and this lovely write up by Jenavieve Hatch.
“Rest in Peace, Max Ritvo” by Daniel Slager
We’re closing out this week’s Round Up with somber news. The brilliant young poet Max Ritvo unfortunately passed away earlier this week. The entire Button team is sending condolences and love to all of Max’s friends and family.
And it is here that we part ways. As always, I hope you have enjoyed yourself and maybe even learned a thing or two.
Click here for the full playlist.
With the new school year starting up, we’ve added a bunch of new videos to our Classroom-Friendly poems playlist! We always love hearing from teachers who use our videos, so we compiled this resource to make it easier to find great poems for the classroom.
NOTE: Some poems in this list may not be appropriate for all grade levels. The list is primarily geared toward high schoolers, but many of the poems included would be appropriate for the middle grades as well.
If you’re looking for further classroom poetry resources, check out our books, available in the Button store!
Please share this with the teachers and educators in your life! And if you’ve personally used Button videos in the classroom, please tell us about it in the comments below!
