Poetry

Celebrating female literary heroines

From Maya Angelou to Fahmida Riaz, a number of female writers and poets have championed the cause of women using the power of the pen.

Amanda Gorman Award honours high school poets

Amanda Gorman has partnered with Penguin Random House to offer a $10,000 poetry award for public high school students. Gorman shot to fame after reading her poem “The Hill We Climb” at President Joe Biden’s inauguration.

‘The Sage of the Ummah’: Muhammad Iqbal

A poet, intellectual and philosopher, Iqbal sought to arouse the Muslim world from a long and deep slumber. Though his works have been neglected in recent decades, he continues to inspire and move readers around the globe.

Turkey marks Rumi’s 'union with God'

The great sufi scholar and poet Mevlana Jelaluddin Rumi died in 1273 in Konya, Turkey. This year marks the 845th death anniversary, which was marked with ceremonies in Konya and Istanbul.

Pulitzer-winning poet John Ashbery dies at 90

His 1975 “Self-Portrait in a Convex Mirror” made history when he became the lone writer to earn three major awards in that year for it.

South Sudanese youth turn to art in quest for peace

Affected by years of civil war, youth in Juba are turning to art, stressing the need for a non-violent resolution of the conflict that has cost thousands of lives.

How Daesh uses poetry as a recruitment tool

Most scholars and investigators focus on Daesh's manipulation of the Quran, but an essential component of the group's propaganda is its use of poetry, and it might be one of its most effective weapons.