Scope

This Research Guide introduces sources of information about poetry terms, techniques and topics; analysis and interpretations; literary markets; and poet biographies.

Overview

The New Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics
College Library Reference Collection: PN 1021 N39 1993

The Poetry Handbook: A Guide to Reading Poetry
College Library Reference Collection: PR 502 L38 1996

Contemporary Poets
College Library Reference Collection: PR 603 C6 1996

Encyclopaedia Britannica Online 1992 (updated daily)
Britannica Online is a searchable collection of authoritative references, including Britannica's latest encyclopedia articles. Basic instructions for Encyclopædia Britannica Online

Contemporary Authors 1960 - to date (updated semiannually)
Contemporary Authors offers biographical and bibliographical information on nearly 100,000 modern authors, including novelists, poets, screenwriters, journalists and other nonfiction writers. The database contains the full-text of the following series: Contemporary Authors Vol. 1-140, Contemporary Authors New Revision Series Vol. 1-41, and Contemporary Authors Permanent Series Vol. 1-2. Basic instructions for Contemporary Authors

Current Biography
Current Biography contains the full text of the biographies and obituaries on the more than 15,000 people that have appeared in Current Biography Yearbook since 1940. Current Biography includes artists, politicians, business people, journalists, actors, writers, sports figures, scientists, and other people prominent in the news. Basic instructions for Current Biography

Masterplots Complete
Masterplots Complete contains full-text essays on works of fiction, non-fiction, drama, and poetry. Basic instructions for Masterplots Complete

Literature Resource Center 20th Century (updated continuously)
Includes information on a large number of authors and literary works taken from Contemporary Authors, Dictionary of Literary Biography, Contemporary Literary Criticism, and other sources. In addition to biographical information, LRC includes full-text articles from more than 130 literary journals, a dictionary of literary terms, and links to 5,000 relevant Web sites and special collections.

Biography and Genealogy Master Index 1976 - to date (updated annually)
Citations to more than 4 million current and historical persons are included in the Biography & Genealogy Master Index. Sources include more than 1000 English-language "who's who" type publications, including biographical dictionaries, handbooks, and directories. Name, birth and death dates, and source information are included for persons in all fields. Basic instructions for Biography and Genealogy Master Index

Finding Journal and News Articles

Below are links to databases that cover this subject area. The truncation symbol for all of them is an asterisk (*) unless otherwise noted.

Sample searches for databases:

"John Donne" and "sonnet"
Canadian and poet*
"Joy Harjo" and review
"Adrienne Rich"
feminist and poet*
"Vietnam war" and poet*
Chicano and poet*
poet* and "dramatic monologue"

Recommended Databases:

Essay & General Literature Index
The Essay & General Literature Index indexes chapters in more than 300 English language essay collections and anthologies annually. Both humanities and social sciences topics are covered, including economics, political science, history, philosophy, religion, and criticism of literary works, drama, and film. There are no abstracts. Basic instructions for Essay & General Literature Index

MLA Bibliography (Literature) 1963 - to date (quarterly)
The Modern Language Association International Bibliography indexes 3,000 English language and foreign periodicals as well as books, book chapters, and dissertations. Its subject matter includes critical works on literature, language, linguistics, and folklore. Reviews of literary and scholarly works are not included. There are no abstracts. Basic instructions for MLA Bibliography

Project Muse
A Web resource that offers full-text and full-image journals. "Project MUSE covers the fields of literature and criticism, history, the visual and performing arts, cultural studies, education, political science, gender studies, and many others."

Humanities Full Text 1984 - to date (updated monthly)
Indexes 400 scholarly journals on archaeology, classical studies, art, film, folklore, history, journalism, linguistics, literature, music, performing arts, philosophy and religion. Basic instructions for Humanities Full Text

ProQuest Research Library 1988 - to date (updated daily)
Indexes over 2,000 general-interest and academic journals. Nearly 1,000 periodicals are full-text. Dates vary, but many full-text journals go back to 1988. Basic instructions for ProQuest Research Library

Finding Books

MadCat
Books on poetry can be found in MadCat, the UW-Madison library catalog.

Sample keyword searches:

biography and "Sylvia Plath"
criticism and "Rita Dove"
http and poetry (to find electronic resources)
http and "poet's name" (e.g., http and "Langston Hughes") for electronic resources on specific poets

Internet Sites

The Academy of American Poets
http://www.poets.org
Provides biographical profiles, bibliographies, and current articles of American poets.

Modern American Poetry
http://www.english.uiuc.edu/maps/index.htm
This Web site was compiled from the Anthology of Modern American Poetry for Oxford University Press. It covers biographical profiles and bibliographies of modern American poets.

The Atlantic Monthly
http://www.theatlantic.com/unbound/poetry
Provides current and archived articles and Internet links.

Poetry Magazine
http://www.poetrymagazine.org/index.html
Poetry published the first important poems of T. S. Eliot and other now-classic authors. Since 1912 it has presented often for the first time works by virtually every significant poet of the century. This website includes Poetry Magazine Index 1912-1997 and selections of current issues.

Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets
http://www.wfop.org/whatwfop.html
An organization of Wisconsin poets. Website includes events calendar, newsletter information, regional resources and links to poetry markets.

American Verse Project
http://www.hti.umich.edu/a/amverse
University of Michigan Humanities Text initiative that provides bibliographies and the poetry of American poets.

Favorite Poem Project
http://www.favoritepoem.org/
Robert Pinsky, 39th Poet Laureate of the United States, created this project which features audio and video documentaries of Americans reading their favorite poems.

Poets Laureate of the U.S.
http://poetry.about.com/library/weekly/bllaureates.htm
About.Com's links to information about current and past U.S. poets laureate

Videos

Poetry Videos can be found on MadCat, the UW-Madison library catalog:

Sample keyword searches:
Wordsworth and video?
"African American" and poetry and video?
"Robert Creeley"and video?
poetry and video?
women and poetry and video?

Here are a few sample recent poetry videos, most of which are found in the Gaus Poetry Collection in College Library's third floor center area:

Ancestral voices: Bill Moyers' "The Power of the Word" Series
College Library Gaus Collection: PS325 A53 1994

Poetic License
College Library Gaus Collection: PN4121 P6 2000

Poetry in Motion
College Library Gaus Collection: PS 615 P59 2002

Spoon River Anthology & A Poetic Portrait Gallery
College Library Gaus Collection: PS613 S66 1997

Slamnation
College Library Main Collection: PN4151 S53 1998

Sounds of Poetry
College Library Gaus Collection: PS 325 S7 2004

Why We Write
College Library Gaus Collection: PN1064 W4 1998