“Much like his life, Neruda’s poems bridged romance and revolution by emphasizing the everyday moments worth fighting for.” Author Ilan Stavans narrates this TED-Ed animated film about the life and poetry of Pablo Neruda, directed by Ivana Bosnjak and Thomas Johnson.

Watch this surreal animated book trailer for Colin Winnette’s new novel, Users (Soft Skull, 2023), animated by Casey Jarman with music by Ben Morton and Kyle Morton. For more about the book, read this installment of our Ten Questions series featuring Winnette.

“Is a poem a little machine? A firework? An echo? A dream?” In this animated TED-Ed lesson by Melissa Kovacs, the poetic form is analyzed through famous speeches, song lyrics, and tweets.

Watch this animated poem directed by Diego Maclean and narrated by Billy Collins, from the poet’s 1995 collection, The Art of Drowning (University of Pittsburgh Press).

“Beware the Jabberwock, my son! / The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!” Lewis Carroll’s epic nonsense poem “Jabberwocky,” from his novel Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There, comes to life in this TED-Ed animated video directed by Sjaak Rood.

“Another lie. Though every one makes what I’m about to do all the more easier.” Watch the first episode of “To Be Continued…” written by author Sandie Jones and animated by Hailley Furkalo. This five-part series pairs authors from Reese’s Book Club with animators for a short story with twists, turns, and cliffhangers. 

“My mouth / had been a helmet forever / greased with secrets…” Tim Seibles narrates his poem “First Kiss” from his collection Buffalo Head Solos (Cleveland State University Poetry Center, 2004) for this TED-Ed animated short film directed by Hannah Jacobs, part of the “There’s a Poem for That” series.

“We are // more vulnerable / by far // than is realized / by even our // least sung, / furthest flung, // and most / compromised.” This Motionpoems short film directed by Calum Macdiarmid features a poem written by Motionpoems founder Todd Boss, the first in a series that specifically speaks to a pandemic-ridden world which was commissioned by the University of Minnesota Medical School’s Center for the Art of Medicine.

“It’s a multilayered exploration of not only the intimate details of life aboard a whaling ship, but also subjects from across human and natural history, by turns playful and tragic, humorous and urgent.” In this TED-Ed animated lesson by Sascha Morrell and directed by Martina Meštrović, the unique narration and imagery of Herman Melville’s classic novel is explored and celebrated.

“Her odes to Inanna mark the first time an author writes using the pronoun ‘I,’ and the first time writing is used to explore deep, private emotions.” This animated TED-Ed lesson by Soraya Field Fiorio explores the writings of Enheduanna, a high priestess in ancient Mesopotamia who is widely considered the world’s first author and wrote forty-two hymns and three epic poems by the time of her exile.