I’m a little late in blogging about this, but poet Anne Stevenson wrote poetry for 40 years before getting swamped with recognition. After 18, count ‘em, 18 books of poetry, this marathon runner has won three very important American poetry prizes totaling $260,000 in payout. It just goes to show that patience is still a virtue and good things do come to those who wait.

In other poetry news: Doug Holder wrote a brilliant piece in The Somerville News and encourages poets to “build a community wherever you may reside.” That’s a good word, and I second the motion.

Baudelaire and Mallarme: Inventors of poetic style and voices. If you can get past the endless repetition, this prose piece shows why Baudelaire and Mallarme are important voices to study for modern poets.

And here’s my favorite: Poet Taylor Mali defends the teacher …