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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Emergency services, May 3 Former San Quentin guard publishes book Photographers capture some lovely blooms in latest Mail Tribune contest Soaring rents, stagnant wages create housing crisis Wimer's Highland Games appeal to both the kilted and kiltless Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Emergency services, May 3 Dozens of drivers nabbed in Medford pedestrian sting Emergency services, May 2 Gold Hill man torched his foreclosed property No leads on who smashed about 20 windows in Ashland before dawn Thursday Politics and Elections BREAKING: Baltimore prosecutor charges officers in Freddie Gray's death Earthquakes hit regularly in Medford (Oklahoma, that is) Medford School Board, Position 6: Curt Ankerberg vs. Janet Lightheart Arthur I. Cyr: Cuba’s enduring challenge to American foreign policy – and American politics Gov. Brown touts need for transportation funding in talk to Medford chamber Education More kindergartners vaccinated in 2015 Elementary students honor local police officers Levy backers eye final push Two seats contested on Central Point School Board Neal Simon: This is a test Environment Earthquakes hit regularly in Medford (Oklahoma, that is) Residents say armed mine supporters sully Josephine County's reputation Armed protesters gather at Medford BLM office over Sugar Pine Mine dispute Jackson County's wildlife services agent seen as both killer and savior Biomass technology: Creating products out of former waste State News PERS ruling means tough choices for state and local lawmakers US, Canada unveil rules to boost oil train safety Cylvia Hayes public records case goes before Salem judge Fixit tag for Portland's noted Portland Building: $175 million Fee targets rail cars that haul oil, other flammables Nation - World There's a $10 million precious stone hidden in plain sight at Grand Central Tsarnaev convicted on all charges in Boston Marathon bombing Obituaries Tim Lawrence Yockey Penelope Catherine (Turner) Martens William "Bill" Geisslinger Alice Irenia (McFall) Calkins Dennis Dean Ekwall Weather Photo Galleries Since You Asked Videos Web Cams Mail Tribune 100 Shareable Sports Latest Stories Ragan, Tornado hit way past Indians Mayweather wins decision in richest fight Timbers, Whitecaps play to 0-0 draw North’s Folsom, South boys shine at GP Rotary Marist halts EP’s winning streak Varsity 541 College Sports Raiders' Abbott breaks 22-year-old record Dodge signs as free agent with Falcons Lockie stands out in Ducks' spring game Raiders go 1-1, advance to today Singler shines in Raider spring game Pro Sports Mayweather wins decision in richest fight Timbers, Whitecaps play to 0-0 draw Clippers oust defending champ Spurs McIlroy, Casey fight until darkness Quarterbacks Petty, Hundley chosen on final day Community Sports Bailey picks up modified win Wilson delivers in return of local boxing Palmer breezes to second straight men’s title Business Latest Stories Blog: Do You Want Cheese with Your Wine? Never enough: New Starbucks proposed on Barnett Road in Medford Comcast deal dropped along with Pac-12 1-800Flowers.com reports $10.5 million loss in third quarter Jackson County debt-ridden homeowners have an option Real Estate News Never enough: New Starbucks proposed on Barnett Road in Medford Jackson County debt-ridden homeowners have an option New home in an old house Naumes plans custom-crush winery in former packing house GREEN ACRES: Southern Oregon provides escape from the maddening crowd People In Business Transportation Erickson finds room to work at Medford airport Lithia Motors nets $40.7 million in first quarter Lithia Motors reports second-best quarter ever Business briefs Medford airport's record run continues Agriculture 1-800Flowers.com reports $10.5 million loss in third quarter Naumes plans custom-crush winery in former packing house New bosses take charge at Harry & David Dancin Vineyards covers up Opinion Latest Letters to the Editor, May 3 Our View: Our picks for Medford School Board Dana Milbank: Clinton's opponents need to smoke her out George Will: The Lusitania's role in history Charles Krauthammer: Men wielding power in hellish times Editorials Our View: Our picks for Medford School Board Other Views: Gun-bill recalls misguided, futile Our View: Bill gives ex-convicts a glimmer of hope Our View: Medical marijuana market not at risk Our View: Don't wait on public records reform Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor, May 3 Letters to the Editor, May 2 Letters to the Editor, May 1 Letters to the Editor, April 30 Letters to the Editor, April 29 Columns Dana Milbank: Clinton's opponents need to smoke her out George Will: The Lusitania's role in history Charles Krauthammer: Men wielding power in hellish times Guest Opinion: Animal-killing program pulls wool over taxpayers' eyes Michael Gerson: A pastor's faith in Baltimore Guest Opinions Guest Opinion: Animal-killing program pulls wool over taxpayers' eyes Guest Opinion: Uniting to restore our sovereignty to we, the people Guest Opinion: This Earth Day, we celebrate the Northwest Forest Plan The Medford School Board was wrong: 'American Pageant' is a political agenda, not history The Medford School Board was right: 'American Pageant' is a fine book, and the board did its homework Lifestyle Latest stories Photographers capture some lovely blooms in latest Mail Tribune contest Bright spots in the dark Wedding: Melody Ann Madi and Lyman Martin Stiles Engagement: Anders-Stanley Columnist for a Day: 'When Harry met Shirley,' the story continues Food Andrea Honaker: Mexican-inspired dips for Cinco de Mayo Set a table from your local farmers market Let's do brunch! Page H. Onorato: Enjoying good food just for the fun of it Page H. Onorato: Food items appear in the funnies Home and Garden Heirloom tomatoes bring ageless flavor Betty Montgomery: You can have a variety of ferns in your garden Clean out household chemicals Friday and Saturday Dear Monty: 10 tips to avoid tenant complaints Home Help: Upgrade your entryway with simple DIY projects Health Dr. Murray Feingold: Turn down that noise Health Watch: Pack your pantry with healthy items HealthStyle: It’s all in the family dinner 'Game changer' for heart patients Health Watch: Tips for protecting your eyes Hiking Biking Faith Religion Briefs: Friday, May 1 Religion Briefs: Friday, April 24 Religion Briefs: Friday, April 17 Religion briefs: Friday, April 10 Milestones and Achievements Wedding: Melody Ann Madi and Lyman Martin Stiles Engagement: Anders-Stanley ENGAGEMENT: Sellers-James Witham's birthday bash draws hundreds for 1950s prices Charlesworth-Murphy Columnist for a Day Rogue Healthy Aging Tempo Latest stories 5 picks for live entertainment Live Music in Local Clubs Master Gardener Spring Fair at The Expo Randall Theatre stages 'Little Shop of Horrors' Camelot Theatre presents 'Arsenic and Old Lace' Theater REVIEW: Carson, Patton shine in 'Arsenic and Old Lace' Some Oregon Shakespeare Festival crew members seek to unionize Randall Theatre stages 'Little Shop of Horrors' 'Much Ado' at SOU Thanks for the Memories stages 'Company' one night only Music Thunder's Edge, Steel Cranes tonight at Club 66 The Farr Side: CMAs do it right, in many ways Live Music in Local Clubs Trio Brasileiro plays Old Siskiyou Barn Interview: Offspring plays hits new and old on tour Community Events Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhiits by regional artists Master Gardener Spring Fair at The Expo A Taste of Ashland pairs food and wine at galleries Rogue Valley Earth Day 2015 Foreign language film festival set at SOU Movies Movie review: ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ has a lot going on Movie review: ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ knows how to party Catching up with the Avengers Interview: Sofia Vergara talks ‘Hot Pursuit’ Quick Flicks: ‘Cinderella,’ ‘Insurgent’ and more Dining Restaurant inspections, May 3, 2015 Taqueria Picaro offers casual Mexican cuisine Restaurant inspections: April 26, 2015 Island Grindz serves up Hawaiian specialties Have you wandered down the Bear Creek Wine Trail yet? Tempo Videos Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obits Blogs TV Listings Movie Listings Oregon Outdoors Oregon Healthy Living Special Sections Business Services NEWS NOW Our View: Our picks for Medford School Board ... Bright spots in the dark ... Guest Opinion: Animal-killing program pulls wool over taxpayers' eyes ... Our View: Our picks for Medford School Board ... Bright spots in the dark ... Guest Opinion: Animal-killing program pulls wool over taxpayers' eyes ... Barbara Presnell: Why poetry? And why do it now? Comment By Barbara Presnell More Content Now MailTribune.com By Barbara Presnell More Content Now Posted Mar. 20, 2015 at 8:43 AM By Barbara Presnell More Content Now Posted Mar. 20, 2015 at 8:43 AM » Social News If the young high school student was nervous when her name was called, she didn’t show it. Every hair was in place. She looked classy in her blue print dress and mid-height heels. She walked to the front of the room with confidence, past the judges’ table and the chairs filled with parents, poets, officials and other students. She positioned herself in front of the microphone, made the requisite eye contact with the audience, took a deep breath and began. “Hope.” She paused. “Is the thing with feathers. That perches. On the soul.” The timing between phrases was perfect. The emphasis on the words clear and confident. Her rendering of this well-known and well-loved poem by Emily Dickinson was solid, and she knew it, you could tell, when she walked back to her chair. I was one of those judges, and this was the North Carolina State Semi-Finals and Finals of the Poetry Out Loud competition. These were students who had won similar competitions at the school level and the county level. The winner today would go on to the final competition in Washington, D.C. Every performance was good. Students rarely forgot lines, and they understood the depth and beauty of the pieces they were reciting. The dramatic interpretations were just enough, not too much. Judging one to be better than the other was not easy at all. The Poetry Out Loud program, now in its 10th year, was new to me. A combined effort of the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation, the program was designed to help students across the nation learn, explore and appreciate poetry by reciting it. Apparently it has worked, because last year over 365,000 high school students participated, and the number keeps on growing. Our new North Carolina poet laureate Shelby Stephenson opened the competition by reading a few poems of his own and talking to the students about his love of words. In addition, he gave each student a copy of his book, “Fiddledeedee.” Throughout the day, I saw students reading it between events. As I listened to the students reciting poems and watched the delighted faces of parents, poets and others in attendance, I wondered, why poetry? And why now? This growing interest in poetry is not just happening within this one group on this one day. Poetry is becoming cool. Of course, this is a relative thing. There are no shoe endorsements for poetry. No TV networks devoted to it, no March Madness of poetry. But it’s true. Why are more and more students signing up for Poetry Out Loud? Sure, there’s money in it for the winners, but it’s like playing the lottery — your chances of taking home the big prize are pretty slim. And why are our country’s over 400 graduate programs in creative writing so popular they’re turning away students? Obtaining a creative writing degree — I know this because I’ve got one — is like majoring in pipe dreams. Poets don’t make much money, even if they publish a lot. I suspect — sadly, this happened to me — poetry receives a bad reputation in schools. Students read the work of long ago poets like Shakespeare or Yeats or Lawrence. Or they read obscure work that’s difficult to understand by poets like E.E. Cummings or T.S. Eliot. Or they have teachers — this happened to me — who make them analyze it, make them find the metaphors and symbols and hidden meanings. Too often students aren’t asked how a poem makes them feel or how they can relate. Poetry, students often come to learn, is not relatable. This is also beginning to change. Students today might read a poem by, say, Maya Angelou, whose words can’t help but make them feel something, words that are familiar, are inspiring. Then a poet laureate, like Stephenson, will visit their classroom. Joseph Bathanti, our most recent poet laureate, made it his goal to visit veterans’ groups in particular, to get the servicemen and women writing about their experiences both when they were deployed and when they returned home. Today, there are veterans writing groups all over the state. Robert Frost wrote, “A poem begins as a lump in the throat, a sense of wrong, a homesickness, a lovesickness.” Poems, that is, come from those places in us where something is frightening, confusing or painful, and we are compelled to write about it in order to understand it. That’s exactly why, I think, poetry is becoming cool. These are scary times we live in. Every day we’re threatened by danger right here in our own towns. Right out our front doors. Every day we hear of violence and hatred and misguided thinking. Poetry may not be a cure for it, but poetry is a personal way of staying strong in a world that seems more wobbly all the time. “Hope,” wrote Dickinson, “is the thing with feathers— / That perches on the soul—/ And sings the tune without the words— / And never stops—at all—.” Outside her window, the Civil War was raging. Even today — especially today — those words offer something to hold onto in the middle of it all. So, why poetry? Why now? It seems like the better question is why not poetry, right now? Barbara Presnell is a poet and teacher of writing who lives in Lexington, North Carolina. Contact her at barbarapresnell.com. By Barbara Presnell More Content Now MailTribune.com By Barbara Presnell More Content Now Posted Mar. 20, 2015 at 8:43 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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