William Barnes

Over how many poems did William Barnes write?  How many different languages did Barnes quote from?  Where was he born?  What kind of dialect did he sometimes write in?  Read Barnes' poem, "The Broken Heart."  What is going on in the poem?  Who is broken hearted?  Write about a time where you had you're heart broken. This can either be by a relationship breaking up or a death in the family. Write how you felt and acted during that time in you're life.

Anna Akhmatova

What was Anna Akhmatova really a pen name for?  What kind of poems did she work with?  What caused much of the written record about Akhmatova to be destroyed?  Read Akhmatova's poem "I Taught Myself To Live Simply."  Write about what you do to calm yourself down. Is there a specific time or place that you hate being disturbed during?

Dylan Thomas

    Where was Dylan Thomas from?  Besides poetry, what else did Thomas write?  How old was Thomas when he wrote many of his famous poems?  How did Thomas die?  Read Thomas's poem And Death Shall Have No Domain. What kinds of things does Thomas write about death having no control over? Write about something that death cannot touch.

Pablo Neruda

     What was Pablo Neruda's original name?  What did Neruda win the Nobel Peace Prize for? What was Neruda hospitalized for?  What country was Neruda exiled from?  Read Neruda's poem Always. Whom is Neruda talking to? What is this poem about? Write about a time where you have forgiven someones past.

Gwendolyn Brooks

What famous prize did Gwendolyn Brooks win?  What state was Brooks Poet Laureate of?  Who invited her to read at the Library of Congress poetry festival in 1962?  Read Brooks' poem To Be In Love. List some of the imagery that Brooks uses to show a couple in  love. Write about what you think people in love look like.

William Carlos Williams

Where and when was William Carlos Williams born?  Besides poetry, what else did Williams do for a living? What college did Williams graduate from? When did Williams' health begin to decline?  Read Williams' poem The Red Wheelbarrow. Why is the wheelbarrow so important?  Explain something in your life that you couldn't survive without.

Ezra Pound

Where and when was Ezra Pound born?  What is he known for developing? What kind of education did Pound receive?  Read Pound's poem A Girl.  What is the poem talking about?  Is the poem acting as a metaphor for something?  Write about a time when you felt so at one with something that it felt like you were a part of it.