Co-News Editor Phoebe Ellis says of Sandra Cisneros: ‘She preserves a lot of the female experience like catcalls, beauty expectations and stuff like that”
April is National Poetry Month. To celebrate an entire month dedicated to poetry, poems and the like, some of The Spectrum’s staff gave their favorite poets and poems.
Phoebe Ellis, Co-News Editor
Sandra Cisernos
“Her poetry isn’t white-based. So, I get a different perspective than a lot of famous poets, like Edgar Allen Poe. But she also preserves a lot of the female experience like catcalls, beauty expectations and stuff like that.”
Shel Silverstein
“He’s silly but can still connect across age groups. My tattoo is part of his art.”
Rio Bergh, Features Editor
Dana Gioia, “The Gods of Winter”
“Dana Gioia wrote ‘Gods of Winter’ in the wake of his infant son’s death. The collection is hauntingly beautiful, lyrical and emotionally exhausting, especially since it dwells on the theme of beauty that can never last. But it’s worth your time.”
Jack Hastings, Co-Copy Editor
Sylvia Plath
“The way Plath incorporates wit and emotion together is unlike anything I’ve ever read. She’s incredibly clever and intricate in weaving her poems and fiction yet can still work in some humor every now and then.”
Dr. Seuss
“Dr. Suess is the OG of poetry. It’s timeless, elegant and fun, everything you need from a poem.”
Shel Silverstein
“I love Silverstein because he is able to find the beauty in the mundane. He takes fleeting thoughts and elegantly solidifies them into words.”
Erik Jonasson II, Opinion Editor
Walt Whitman
“His poetry is so good. It’s hella meta. I enjoy it because it’s naturalistic. There are so many elements of nature in it.”
Ben Norman, Editor-in-Chief
Langston Hughes
“His poetry taps something deep within that is truly phenomenal. More specifically, the imagery he uses and the topics he tackles is bluesy. You can hear and feel this pain and sorrow, especially with his blues poetry. It’s poignant.”
T.S. Eliot
“Reading Eliot was a defining literary moment for me. I’d never experienced poetry like that. And it really, as a future educator, I can’t wait to open up those doors to future students too.”
Ben Norman, the Editor-in-Chief, says of Billy Collins: ‘He epitomizes the every day man and makes poetry accessible to the masses, not just the elite. That’s what poetry needs.’
Billy Collins
“The way he spins every day life and takes it down these absurd rabbit holes. I cherish that. I love that so much. He has such a unique perspective on daily life. He epitomizes the every day man and makes poetry accessible to the masses, not just the elite. That’s what poetry needs.”
Paige Johnson, A&E Editor
Octavio Paz
“Octavio Paz’s poetry is beautiful. Growing up in the civil war of Mexico in the early 19th century, Paz’s poetry is deeply existential and discusses topics like loneliness, humanity and restlessness. His metaphors are beautifully descriptive.”
R.I.D
“People joke about online poets being wannabes, but R.I.D’s poetry is really exquisite. Her descriptions of depression and anxiety speak of the experience wonderfully, without romanticizing the struggles of the illnesses. While some might criticize that she’s unprofessional or too artsy, therefore she’s less worthy of praise, I strongly disagree and recommend her poetry.”