LibGuides: Literature: Poetry

Library Databases

These databases will be useful to you in your research:

Credo Reference This link opens in a new window
Provides full-text access to over 3.2 million entries from over 400 reference titles
Ebook Central This link opens in a new window
Contains over 116,000 full-text e-books in a wide variety of subjects and disciplines. There is a powerful user interface that includes highlighting, bookmarking and automatic citations.
EBSCOHost This link opens in a new window
EBSCOhost is the primary online journal and e-book platform at UVF. It contains 28 multidisciplinary and subject-specific databases. Within EBSCOhost you will find such databases as: Academic Search Complete, Education Research Complete, Humanities Source, Literary Reference Center Plus, the APA databases (PsycArticles, PsycBooks, PsycCritiques, PsycExtra, and PsycInfo), SocINDEX, and e-Book Academic Collection for full-text books.
JSTOR This link opens in a new window
This collection contains the complete archived holdings of over 1,100 scholarly, full-text journals. New titles and disciplines are added regularly. The capacity for searching across disciplines opens up vast possibilities for scholarship and research.
Oxford English Dictionary This link opens in a new window
The Oxford English Dictionary is the authoritative source on the evolution and usage of the English language.
Salem Literature This link opens in a new window
Contains analytical essays (both classic criticism and original analysis) on authors, works, and themes central to literary study.

Blogs and Podcasts

New Yorker Poetry Podcast
Each podcast consists of a conversation with a guest poet and the poet reading one of his/her works.
Poetry Foundation
The Poetry Magazine Podcast
Produced by the Poetry Foundation.

Available in the Library:

These books, along with many other titles, can be found in the Reference section of the Library. Click on the title to go to the record in the Library Online Catalog. Be sure to check the Circulating collection for books you can check out, too.

The Columbia Granger's index to poetry in anthologies by Tessa Kale
Call Number: REF PN 1022 .H39 2007
Publication Date: 2007
Contemporary Poets 7th ed. by Thomas Riggs.
Call Number: REF PR 603 .C6 2001
Publication Date: 2001
Encyclopedia of American poetry. The 20th century by Eric L. Haralson (Editor)
Call Number: REF PS323.5 .E53 2001
Publication Date: 2001-06-01
Encyclopedia of American poetry. The nineteenth century by Eric L. Haralson
Call Number: REF PS316 .E53 1998
Publication Date: 1998
Masterplots II. Poetry series Rev. ed. / editor, Philip K. Jason ; project editor, Tracy Iron-Georges. by Philip K. Jason
Call Number: REF PN 1110.5 .M37 2002 v.1-8
Publication Date: 2002

Poetry Websites

Here are some links that will help you as you research poetry and poetry explication. These are aggregate sites as opposed to sites devoted to individual poets.

Cambridge History of English and American Literature
Considered the most important work of literary history and criticism ever published, the Cambridge History contains over 303 chapters and 11,000 pages, with essay topics ranging from poetry, fiction, drama and essays to history, theology and political writing.
Glossary of Poetic Terms
An A-to-Z listing of terms used in poetry with their corresponding definitions. Produced by McGraw-Hill.
Internet Public Library: Poetry
Although ipl2 has closed, there are almost 500 academic sites devoted to all aspects of poetry found here.
Poetry Archive
Listen to poets reading their own works.
Poetry Explication
Produced by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, "this handout reviews some of the important techniques of approaching and writing a poetry explication, and includes parts of two sample explications."
Poetry Foundation
"The Poetry Foundation, publisher of Poetry magazine, is an independent literary organization committed to a vigorous presence for poetry in our culture. It exists to discover and celebrate the best poetry and to place it before the largest possible audience."
Poets.org
Created by the American Academy of Poets, this site contains thousands of poems. Biographical articles are also included. A good source of contemporary poets and poetry.
Project Gutenberg: Poetry Bookshelf
Free ebooks of poetry anthologies organized chronologically and also by genre.

Featured Poet

J.R.R. Tolkien
Listen to Tolkien read excerpts of poems from "Fellowship of the Ring."

Library Director

Melanie Oestreich

Poetry Explication

Here are some sites that will assist in analyzing poetry:

The Writing Center: Poetry Explications
This website is produced by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Writing About Poetry
Produced by the Online Writing Lab (OWL) at Purdue University.

Professional Associations

Here are poetry and poetry-related associations and organizations that may be of interest to you:

National Federation of State Poetry Societies
"Its purpose is to recognize the importance of poetry with respect to national cultural heritage. It is dedicated solely to the furtherance of poetry on the national level and serves to unite poets in the bonds of fellowship and understanding."
Poetry Foundation
Poetry Foundation "is an independent literary
organization committed to a vigorous presence for poetry in our culture. It exists to discover and celebrate the best poetry and to place it before the largest possible audience."
Poetry Society of America
"Non-profit organization devoted to fostering and promoting poetry in US."