Educational Media Reviews Online

"Poetry is a vocal art, an art meant to be read aloud. “ If a poem is written well," he says, "it was written with the poet's voice and for a voice. Reading a poem silently instead of saying a poem is like the difference between staring at sheet music and actually humming or playing the music on an instrument." These are the words of Robert Pinsky former Poet Laureate of the United States and creator of the Favorite Poem Project. This video series truly embodies Pinsky's words, providing viewers with a look into the lives of these poets but also the opportunity to hear these words from the poets themselves. A person reading Grace Nichol's poetry would be able to experience the roar of the wind from the hurricane described in "Hurricane Hits England" but hearing her read that poem and the poem "Sea Timeless Sea" in her lilting Guyanese voice provides a deeper meaning and a richer experience than just looking at the words in a book. As the poets presented are not American, viewers will get different viewpoints and writing styles on a variety of subjects. Each of the poems is also dramatized, something which is interesting but can also hinder those trying to find their own meanings for the poems being presented and in a few cases the dramatizations do detract a little from the readings being done.

It is interesting to note that nearly all of the poets included have varied backgrounds and experiences that have shaped their lives and their poetry. Tatamkhulu Africa, born of Egyptian-Turkish parents in South Africa, saw his life changed when his adopted parents informed him that he was not white but of mixed-race heritage. He found himself living in one of the townships designated for coloreds, one that was torn down to make way for a resort for whites. His poem about the loss of this community shows his frustration and sadness about the inequities of blacks and whites in South Africa. Sujata Bhatt talks about her experiences being born in India then moving to the United States and then marrying a German and moving to Germany. She and her daughter spend time in the flower market, which makes her long for her home in India. Yet, she notes in her interview that her identity has different layers part Indian and part European. Her poem "Search for My Tongue" expresses her need to experience all the layers of her cultural experiences and how they are all important. Kamau Braithwaite uses the poem "Ogun" to show the changes in his country and how instead of respecting the work of Ogun the craftsman, they wanted modern plastic pieces and wanted to move away from their history and experiences. Viewers will enjoy the varied poets, their experiences and their different styles ranging from Tom Leonard who reads "this is thi six a clock news" his poem satirizing the BBC news voice and honoring his own, to Fiona Farrell, who honors her heritage by telling the story of female settlers in New Zealand in "Charlotte O'Neil's Song."

This video series is fascinating and could be used in high school and college classrooms to teach poetry or to provide students in urban studies or sociology classes a different way of looking at the experiences of people throughout the world and how they adjust to societal changes or the experiences they have had in their lives. The series is very well done and will be enjoyable for all viewers.