From the author of The Latehomecomer, a powerful memoir of her father, a Hmong song poet who sacrificed his gift for his children's future in America In the Hmong tradition, the song poet recounts the story of his people, their history and tragedies, joys and losses; extemporizing or drawing on folk tales, he keeps the past alive, invokes the spirits and the homeland, and records courtships, births, weddings, and wishes. Following her award-winning book The Latehomecomer, Kao Kalia Yang now retells the life of her father Bee Yang, the song poet, a Hmong refugee in Minnesota, driven from the mountains of Laos by American's Secret War. Bee lost his father as a young boy and keenly felt his orphanhood. He would wander from one neighbor to the next, collecting the things they said to each other, whispering the words to himself at night until, one day, a song was born. Bee sings the life of his people through the war-torn jungle and a Thai refugee camp. But the songs fall away in the cold, bitter world of a Minneapolis housing project and on the factory floor until, with the death of Bee's mother, the songs leave him for good. But before they do, Bee, with his poetry, has polished a life of poverty for his children, burnished their grim reality so that they might shine. Written with the exquisite beauty for which Kao Kalia Yang is renowned, The Song Poet is a love story -- of a daughter for her father, a father for his children, a people for their land, their traditions, and all that they have lost.

Melodies of my heart is the whispers of love that he gives to me, The visions that he allows my very eyes to see. Melodies of the heart is the rhythm of the air that I breathe, The words of the songs that I sing, the very essence of a melody. Melodies of the heart is the pulse running through my veins The words written of the hurt, the guilt, the pain and the shame. Melodies of the heart is the tempo of an unspoken word. The lyrics to the songs that my soul once heard. Melodies of the heart is the answers to the unspoken prayers, Of every vision, every failure, every burden and every care. Melodies of the heart. is the never ending love songs that He gives to me. That sets my soul on fire and gives my life true liberty.

This book contains words and music to more than 50 original chants. Chant traditions from many cultures are being recognized today not only for their intrinsic beauty but also for their spiritual power. Paramahansa Yogananda, a pioneer in introducing India's art of devotional chanting to the West, explains how it helps to quiet and focus the mind in preparation for meditation.

From the first Police album, Outlandos D'Amour, through Sacred Love, here are the collected lyrics written by Sting, along with his commentary. “Publishing my lyrics separately from their musical accompaniment is something that I’ve studiously avoided until now. The two, lyrics and music, have always been mutually dependent, in much the same way as a mannequin and a set of clothes are dependent on each other; separate them, and what remains is a naked dummy and a pile of cloth. Nevertheless, the exercise has been an interesting one, seeing perhaps for the first time how successfully the lyrics survive on their own, and inviting the question as to whether song lyrics are in fact poetry or something else entirely. And while I’ve never seriously described myself as a poet, the book in your hands, devoid as it is of any musical notation, looks suspiciously like a book of poems. So it seems I am entering, with some trepidation, the unadorned realm of the poet. I have set out my compositions in the sequence they were written and provided a little background when I thought it might be illuminating. My wares have neither been sorted nor dressed in clothes that do not belong to them; indeed, they have been shorn of the very garments that gave them their shape in the first place. No doubt some of them will perish in the cold cruelty of this new environment, and yet others may prove more resilient and become perhaps more beautiful in their naked state. I can’t predict the outcome, but I have taken this risk knowingly and, while no one in their right mind should ever attempt to set “The Waste Land” to music, in the hopeful words of T. S. Eliot, These fragments I have shored against my ruins.” —Sting, from the Introduction

How do we get students to "ache with caring" about their writing instead of mechanically stringing words together? We spend a lot of time teaching the craft of writing but we also need to devote time to helping students write with purpose and meaning. For decades, Georgia Heard has guided students into more authentic writing experiences by using heart maps to explore what we all hold inside: feelings, passions, vulnerabilities, and wonderings. In Heart Maps, Georgia shares 20 unique, multi-genre heart maps to help your students write from the heart, such as the First Time Heart Map, Family Quilt Heart Map, and People I Admire Heart Map. You'll also find extensive support for using heart maps, including: tips for getting started with heart maps writing ideas to jumpstart student writing in multiple genres from heart maps suggested mentor texts to provide additional inspiration. Filled with full-color student heart maps, examples of the resulting writing, along with online access to 20 different uniquely designed reproducible heart map templates, Heart Maps will be a practical tool for awakening new writing possibilities and engaging and motivating your students' writing throughout the year.

Life-long poem project from the Governor General's Award-winning former parliamentary poet laureate.

In our world today, there is a yearning to connect to beauty; a rising tide of sensitivity and awareness of the immense difficulties we are facing; a need to find a sense of redemption. Poetry offers this. It opens the window to paradox, giving voice to both the souls grief and its longing for the ecstatic. Julie Taras poetry falls in the tradition of the mystical poets who, through the magic of words, open the eyeand the soulto the awareness of the infinite; of timelessness; of presence. To enter into Songs of Gaia is to enter into a world where the desert wind becomes a wild womans breath; where the rivers youve drunk deeply from become the blood of the Mothers veins, and where the sound of your beating heart becomes the rhythm of the very universe in which you live.

The quintessential folk poet of the Third World, Bob Marley influenced generations of musicians and writers. He was a performer who held true to his religious and cultural heritage, who rallied against injustice, and who became an internationally revered musical icon. Renowned poet and scholar Kwame Dawes analyses in detail his verses and lyrics, matching them against the social and political climate of the time and asking of them what it meant to be a black, Jamaican man thrust into the limelight of western society; how change can be affected through music; and how political and ethical truths can be woven into song. His lyrics are poignant, powerful and poetic and this book showcases his written word. Updated to include an interactive timeline of his life, formed with videos and imagery, as well as integrated Spotify playlists, this is the perfect companion to Bob Marley’s recordings.

History of My Heart, winner of the William Carlos Williams Prize, first appeared in 1984. In The New Republic, J.D. McClatchy called it "one of the best books of the past decade." It is Pinsky's third volume of poems--and an ideal introduction to the work of a vital and original contemporary American poet.

This dazzling collection of poetry celebrates the beauty of African-American culture. Written by 20 inner-city children, these moving and powerful poems represent little-heard and often overlooked voices. Full color. Copyright © Libri GmbH. All rights reserved.