The Poem I Turn To: Actors & Directors Present Poetry That Inspires Them

by Jason Shinder (Editor)

Movies and poetry have been intertwined since the dawn of cinema. Poets have written about movies, and movie actors have written and been inspired by poetry. Selected by 42 acclaimed entertainers, The Poem I Turn To includes selections from Pulitizer Prize winners and Poets Laureate, as well as inspiring contemporary poets. Listen to compelling readings on the CD and read the actors' thoughts describing how poetry has affected their lives.

*HEAR
30 poems on one audio CD,
* Adam Arkin reading
Theodore Roethke's The Waking
* John Landis reading
Mark Twain's The War Prayer
* Lili Taylor reading
Robert Frost's The Road Not Taken
* Stacy Keach reading Shakespeare
And Many More

Genres: Poetry

227 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2008

Reviews

[Blaine]

A fun sampler of poetry! I’ve been meaning to read more, and it was a good way to find out what I like!

[Sally]

I love reading poetry and I'm always interested in what others are reading so this book was right up my alley. Some of the choices were bizarre (both of people selected to ask and poems they liked)and some I didn't understand at all, but it was interesting to read. It made me think about what poem I turn to--and I can't see how anyone could choose just one (or 2) when there are so many good ones that fit different situations.

[Em]

Although I don't usually need actors or television personalities to offer me poetry ideas...Their picks are some of my long time favorites! And, leave it to Phillip Seymore Hoffman to introduce me to one of my new FAV poems. I knew Jason Shinder,the man who was so kind and encouraging to all. He is greatly missed.

[Nicole]

I'm really not a big poetry fan, so no surprise I didn't love the book. There were a couple of poems that I could relate to, but on the whole not so much. What was interesting is that this book is a collection of books that are inspiring to celebrities - actors, directors, writers. What they found inspiring to me seemed very doom and gloom.

[Becky]

I pretty good collection of poems, but the layout left much to be desired. The contributing actors who I recognized weren't the ones who gave explanations of why the read the poems. I also didn't really like the readings on the audio CD. A disappointment.

[Amy Lou Jenkins]

http://www.anthologiesonline.com/inde...

Interview with the co-editor

Enjoyed hearing actors/directors share how poems innervate their own creative process. Also –it’s always good to hear poems read aloud.

[Patricia]

Famous people pick out their favorite poem and some of them read them for you on an enclosed CD. I got this for ideas for my poetry project and found some good candidates. Also, someone chose the poem I am memorizing this month as their favorite poem. So that was fun.

[Kelley]

Some great choices by some great actors - of course Mary Louise Parker and Steve Buscemi chose great poems (that I too happen to love)

[Simone]

It's interesting which poems these folks pick.

[yamiyoghurt]

I like the idea. Two favorite poems of each actor/actress. A good way to compose an anthology.

[MountainAshleah]

I enjoyed this collection along with the CD. I prefer more uniformly thematic poetry collections, but it was interesting to match the personalities with the poems, as other reviewers have commented.