Welcome to the One Page Poetry Circle at St. Agnes Branch Library, NYC, where people gather to examine the works of established poets.

Our theme for March is Poetry and Muses.

In Greek mythology the muses were nine goddesses, the daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne, who presided over the arts and sciences. Homer begins his epic poem, The Iliad, with an invocation to the Muse: “Sing, Goddess, sing the rage of Achilles, son of Peleus.”

In the poetic tradition of Homer and Virgil, Dante Alighieri evokes the nine classical muses early in his epic poem The Divine Comedy “O Muses, O lofty genius, aid me now!” Later in the poem, Dante calls forth his more earthly muse—a childhood acquaintance, Beatrice Portinari. Employing them all, Dante takes readers through hell, purgatory, and finally heaven.

Although Homer sought Calliope, the Muse of the Epic, to inspire him, and Dante introduced an earthly love, poets today are more likely to be inspired by their world. Anything can act as a muse: people, places, or other poems. Poet Kiki Petrosino has Robert Redford. Allen Ginsberg had Peter Orlovsky, and sometimes Neal Cassady. Poet Paul Legault has the poetry of Emily Dickinson. The word “muse” can also mean to ponder; often it is not inspiration that creates a poem, but the deep thoughts and labor of the author.

We hope you will blog with us here, on the subject of Poetry and Muses, or on any other poetry you love. Does anyone know of a poet who has a pet as his or her muse?

Spring 2020 Schedule
March 10, Poetry and Muses
April 14, Poetry and Satire
May 12, Poetry and Joy

Programs are held at St. Agnes Branch of NYPL, 5:30- 6:30 pm, 444 Amsterdam Avenue, NYC.

~Abigail Burnham Bloom and AnnaLee Wilson

The One Page Poetry Circle is sponsored by the New York Public Library and is open to all. St. Agnes Branch Library is handicap accessible.