Poetry: January 29, 2020 Issue [#9994]
<< January 22, 2020Poetry Archives | More From This Day | Print This IssueFebruary 5, 2020 >>




 This week: Mark van Doren
  Edited by: Stormy Lady Author IconMail Icon
                             More Newsletters By This Editor  Open in new Window.

Table of Contents

1. About this Newsletter
2. A Word from our Sponsor
3. Letter from the Editor
4. Editor's Picks
5. A Word from Writing.Com
6. Ask & Answer
7. Removal instructions

About This Newsletter

This is poetry from the minds and the hearts of poets on Writing.Com. The poems I am going to be exposing throughout this newsletter are ones that I have found to be, very visual, mood setting and uniquely done. Stormy Lady Author Icon


Word from our sponsor



Letter from the editor

Spring Thunder
by Mark van Doren

Listen, The wind is still,
And far away in the night --
See! The uplands fill
With a running light.

Open the doors. It is warm;
And where the sky was clear--
Look! The head of a storm
That marches here!

Come under the trembling hedge--
Fast, although you fumble...
There! Did you hear the edge
of winter crumble.


On June 13, 1894, in Hope Illinois Dr. Charles Lucius Van Doren and his wife Eudora Ann Butz welcomed their son Mark Van Doren into the family. Mark was the fourth son out of five boys. They lived on a farm during his early childhood. Then Dr Van Doren moved his family closer to Urabna for the boys to attend better schools. After attending the local elementary and high school Van Doren went on to study at the University of Illinois. He earned his Bachelor's of the Arts, in 1914. He then went on to Columbia University to earn his PhD graduating in 1920. He began working at the college that same year.

In 1922 he married Dorothy Graffe a novelist and writer. They had two sons Charles and John. Van Doren published his first poetry Spring Thunder in 1924. Then his second publication came in 1928, An Anthology of World Poetry. With the success of his second book the couple bought a house on Bleecker Street in New York City. While teaching at Columbia Van Doren joined his former Columbia alumni Mortimer Adler to establish the great books program at St. John's College in Annapolis. He would also be a guest lecturer at the college.

Van Doren published a volume of Collected Poems 1922-1939 which won the Pulitzer in 1939. He also wrote the influential Liberal Education in 1943. He published a collection of his lectures on poetry The Noble Voice in 1946. Followed by Morning Worship and Other Poems, published in 1959. He published an autobiography in 1958. In 1959 Van Doren retired from full time teaching and moved to Connecticut to focus on his writing. His other writings include novels and a play. The Last Days of Lincoln was published in 1959. He wrote two more volumes of Collected Poems published in 1963 and 1969.

Mark Van Doren was admitted to Charlotte Hungerford Hospital on December 8, 1972. He had surgery for circulatory problems, he died two days later on December 10 1972. He was 78 years old. Mark Van Doren was laid to rest at Cornwall Hollow Cemetery in Connecticut.


After Long Drought
by Mark van Doren

After long drought, commotion in the sky;
After dead silence, thunder. Then it comes,
The rain. It slashes leaves, and doubly drums
On tin and shingle; beats and bends awry
The flower heads; puddles dust, and with a sigh
Like love sinks into grasses, where it hums
As bees did once, among chrysanthemums
And asters when the summer thought to die.

The whole world dreamed of this, and has it now.
Nor was the waking easy. The dull root
Is jealous of its death; the sleepy brow
Smiles in its slumber; and a heart can fear
The very flood it longed for, roaring near.
The spirit best remembers being mute.


Thank you all!
Stormy Lady Author Icon

A logo for Poetry Newsletter Editors
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Editor's Picks


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The winner of "Stormy's poetry newsletter & contestOpen in new Window. [ASR] is:

"Homeless...Open in new Window.

Homeless...


Her innocence was gone.
Her world had turned upside down.
She was living on the street in a cardboard box.
She might collide with a passerby
But she would be quickly forgotten.
Her old life but a flicker in the corners of her mind.



Honorable mention:
" Forgotten OneOpen in new Window.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


These are the rules:

1) You must use the words I give in a poem or prose with no limits on length.

2) The words can be in any order and anywhere throughout the poem and can be any form of the word.

3) All entries must be posted in your portfolio and you must post the link in this forum, "Stormy's poetry newsletter & contestOpen in new Window. [ASR] by February 21, 2020.

4) The winner will get 3000 gift points and the poem will be displayed in this section of the newsletter the next time it is my turn to post (February 26, 2020)

The words are:


grace confidence power internal defining struggle emerge strength


*Delight* Good luck to all *Delight*

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 Invalid Item Open in new Window.
This item number is not valid.
#2209977 by Not Available.

STATIC
Library Mystery Solved Open in new Window. (E)
an acrostic on being stuck in a library and ....?
#2211307 by eyestar~* Author IconMail Icon

 Invalid Item Open in new Window.
This item number is not valid.
#2211110 by Not Available.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
STATIC
Eternity Open in new Window. (E)
For years and years I waited and searched.
#2210762 by The Crossing .. Author IconMail Icon

STATIC
Lost In A Cyclone Open in new Window. (13+)
A storm of emotions
#2210961 by 👼intuey Author IconMail Icon

 
STATIC
Journey to Da Vinci  Open in new Window. (E)
A Da Vinci museum object inspires a imaginative journey.
#2211275 by Teargen Author IconMail Icon

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 Invalid Item Open in new Window.
This item number is not valid.
#2210821 by Not Available.

 Towards You Open in new Window. (E)
Usually don't do rhyming but thought I'd give it a go
#2210781 by NorahMae Author IconMail Icon

 Invalid Item Open in new Window.
This item number is not valid.
#2211219 by Not Available.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



 
Submit an item for consideration in this newsletter!
https://www.Writing.Com/go/nl_form

Word from Writing.Com

Have an opinion on what you've read here today? Then send the Editor feedback! Find an item that you think would be perfect for showcasing here? Submit it for consideration in the newsletter!
         https://www.Writing.Com/go/nl_form

Don't forget to support our sponsor!

ASIN: B00KN0JEYA
Amazon's Price: $ 4.99


Ask & Answer


*Bullet* *Bullet* *Bullet* Don't Be Shy! Write Into This Newsletter! *Bullet* *Bullet* *Bullet*

This form allows you to submit an item on Writing.Com and feedback, comments or questions to the Writing.Com Newsletter Editors. In some cases, due to the volume of submissions we receive, please understand that all feedback and submissions may not be responded to or listed in a newsletter. Thank you, in advance, for any feedback you can provide!
Writing.Com Item ID To Highlight (Optional):

Send a comment or question to the editor!
Limited to 2,500 characters.
Word from our sponsor
ASIN: B01DSJSURY
Amazon's Price: $ 5.99

Removal Instructions

To stop receiving this newsletter, click here for your newsletter subscription list. Simply uncheck the box next to any newsletter(s) you wish to cancel and then click to "Submit Changes". You can edit your subscriptions at any time.


<< January 22, 2020Poetry Archives | More From This Day | Print This IssueFebruary 5, 2020 >>

This printed copy is for your personal use only. Reproduction of this work in any other form is not allowed and does violate its copyright.