Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night
“Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.” In this video filmed in 1984, actor Anthony Hopkins reads Dylan Thomas's acclaimed poem "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night."
A curated selection of videos, including book trailers, brief interviews, and other literary curiosities updated daily.
Paul Auster
“The world doesn’t owe you anything and nobody is asking you to do it.” In this video, Paul Auster discusses the challenges faced by novice writers, the importance of reading accomplished authors, and why the writing life isn’t for everyone.
The Rules of Writing
“Success is entirely dependent upon constancy of purpose.” In this clip, various authors offer observations and advice regarding the fundamentals of writing and how to achieve literary prosperity.
The Snow Man
In this video, Tom O'Bedlam captures the beautiful loneliness of snow through his interpretation of "The Snow Man" by Wallace Stevens.
Louise Erdrich
“I just keep going.” In this clip, taken from a 2010 interview with Bill Moyers, author Louise Erdrich discusses motherhood, managing expectations, and how she always finds time to write.
The Road Not Taken
“Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back.” This interpretation of Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken” uses serene footage from British Columbia, Canada, expressed through the engaging cinematography of Marty Mellway.
Louise Doughty and Richard Skinner
“I lose my way during the course of a novel about as many times as I sit down to write.” In this clip, writers Louise Doughty and Richard Skinner discuss becoming lost in the writing process and techniques for redirecting a wayward novel-in-progress.
September 1, 1939
“We must love one another or die.” In this poignant video, Tom O’Bedlam reads W. H. Auden’s poem “September 1, 1939.” The compelling visual imagery of our shared planet, captured by the International Space Station, underscores the power of poetry to transcend both distance and time.
Discharged Into Clouds
“All night a woman down the hall screamed how a wound wanted its knife back.” This Motionpoem video offers a dark and existential interpretation of Dean Young’s poem “Discharged Into Clouds.”
Messiah (Christmas Portions)
“Aren’t we enlarged by the scale of what we’re able to desire?” Filmed at the 2008 Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festival, poet Mark Doty reads his compelling poem “Messiah (Christmas Portions).”
Mon, 12/23/2013 - 10:30