Portside

Esther Kamkar’s prayer for the dead addresses the vast universality of war’s human tragedy.

Washington state poet Jed Myers warns we may be hard-wired to fear and hate, but must remember the consequences for humanity.

With the crisis in Ukraine, old nuclear fears rise to the surface as California poet Lee Rossi recalls the year 1955.

Dee Allen’s poetry reminds us of the price of theft, a robbery not only of goods and services, but language itself.

A Message for Black History month: “The Weary Blues,” Langston Hughes's classic poem, is now in the public domain: “The stars went out and so did the moon.”

Mississippi poet Philip Kolin depicts the crushing of the Black community in Tulsa, OK one century ago.

The anniversary of the election insurrection evokes memories of anger and simplicity; are we more prepared?

New York City poet Todd Friedman, a retired high school teacher, observes the silent censorship that aims to protect pupils from themselves or perhaps from the facts of life.

As plague years continue, California poet Danusha Laméris writes of “brief moments of exchange” that sustain hope and belief in what is holy.

Bay Area poet Fred Norman, a dedicated pacifist in Veterans for Peace, died on December 30. His anti-war poetry lives on.