A century of ‘Poetry’

By Produced by Eight Forty-Eight
A century of ‘Poetry’
The Chicago-based Poetry Foundation's flagship magazine 'Poetry' is celebrating its 100th year in print. Flickr/Jeff Zoline
The Chicago-based Poetry Foundation's flagship magazine 'Poetry' is celebrating its 100th year in print. Flickr/Jeff Zoline
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A century of ‘Poetry’
The Chicago-based Poetry Foundation's flagship magazine 'Poetry' is celebrating its 100th year in print. Flickr/Jeff Zoline
The Chicago-based Poetry Foundation's flagship magazine 'Poetry' is celebrating its 100th year in print. Flickr/Jeff Zoline
1 / 2

A century of ‘Poetry’

By Produced by Eight Forty-Eight
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Happy birthday Poetry magazine! One hundred years ago, Chicago poet and patron of the arts Harriet Monroe founded Poetry magazine. In 1912, she wrote, “In the huge democracy of our age, no interest is too slight to have an organ. Every sport, every little industry requires its own corner, its own voice that it may find friends, greet them, welcome them.”

Well, the magazine certainly found friends over the years—and one of them was philanthropist Ruth Lily, who gave the magazine $200 million, which gave birth to the Poetry Foundation. But 100 years later, where does poetry fit in society during this digital age? Eight Forty-Eight gets some help answering that questions from Poetry’s editor Christian Wyman. But first, WBEZ arts and culture editor Lynette Kalnes talked about how Lily’s $200 million gift is being used.