Book Talk by the Sea

Is it possible to find beauty in the darkest of times? Or, maybe a better question, is it possible that the darkest times bring beauty by...

Whether you relish days in the sunshine and the summer nights ahead or call it the dog days of summer with a sense of heat-induced dread,...

"Poetry is an art form especially suited to our challenging times." - James Crews We may loves books and libraries largely because of the...

As spring progresses (slowly here in Maine), yellow bursts of forsythia are one of the earliest colorful patches in the post-winter...

Friday April 29th is this year's Poem in Your Pocket Day! The name may speak for itself, but let poetry spark your creativity. No...

National Poetry Month continues on the blog today with a poem that reminds one how poetry can be simultaneously timeless and timely. In...

Each year, there is a seven day overlap between National Library Week and National Poetry Month that feels particularly apt, as we...

Iraqi American poet Dunya Mikhail has published numerous volumes of work in both Arabic and English. Much of her work grapples with war...

Every season brings its upheaval, but the end of winter has certainly been no light affair while war and pandemic rage at once. With all...

So many of us come to the library because we love words. The stories they create or the truths they tell. The rhythms and joys of...

Amanda Gorman has captivated a large audience since stepping up to the mike with a powerful poem, "The Hill We Climb," at last January's...

The beginning of February marks the beginning of Black History Month—not a sole time to focus on the history and lives of Black Americans...

One of the great joys of being a cataloger in a library is getting to handle and peruse every new or donated book that enters our...

We've delved into 2022, taking on these first two weeks with, I think, a shared hope for a better year for everyone, for the world. The...

Here's to starting 2022 with a bit of unharnessed joy! The Camden Public Library serves a fairly small community in our coastal town and...

Writers tend to be readers, a truism that results in one of the great delights of reading: often in a one book a writer will reference...

Happy Thanksgiving! This holiday may mean different things and ways of celebrating (or not) to everyone, especially as we still find...

It's been a bit since Book Talk by the Sea has featured a Poem of the Week, and today it returns. Poetry complements all seasons, but...

When I read the first line of Greg Santos' poem, "I Have a Problem," I'm reminded of the last line in Ada Limón's poem "The Last Thing,"...

We need so much less than we take. We owe so much more than we give. Squirrels plant thousands of trees every year just from forgetting...