Friday five: American poets (living edition)

There are literally dozens of American poets who've made an impact on what I write, how I write and my passion for the art. Walt Whitman and William Carlos Williams, of course (for anyone who's read me), have been important influences — but so have Denise Levertov, Allen Ginsberg, Robert Creeley. Pound and Eliot, Charles Reznikoff, HD, Langston Hughes — the list is seemingly endless, and changes all the time.

This week's five is Five Alive — the five living American poets I'm most connected to today:

1. Martin Espada
2. Mark Doty
3. Adrienne Rich
4. Galway Kinnell
5. Yusef Komanyakaa

There also is — to extend the list some — Jimmy Santiago Baca, Charles Simic, Philip Levine, Robert Pinsky and Gary Snyder, to name a few.

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Author: hankkalet

Hank Kalet is a poet and freelance journalist. He is the economic needs reporter for NJ Spotlight, teaches journalism at Rutgers University and writing at Middlesex County College and Brookdale Community College. He writes a semi-monthly column for the Progressive Populist. He is a lifelong fan of the New York Mets and New York Knicks, drinks too much coffee and attends as many Bruce Springsteen concerts as his meager finances will allow. He lives in South Brunswick with his wife Annie. View all posts by hankkalet