New York Times to Publish Poetry in Book Review

Posted on February 15, 2002

The New York Times will regularly publish original poetry in the Book Review starting February 17. The Review will strive to include a mix of poetic forms from both household names and brand-new voices. The first entry will be "Harm's Woods" by 29-year-old New York City poet Nathaniel Bellows who has previously been published in the Paris Review, The New Republic, Ploughshares and The Yale Review.

Book Review Editor Charles McGrath will oversee the selection process with the help of Elizabeth Schmidt, contributing editor to Open City magazine and poetry reviewer for the Book Review. Formerly an assistant editor in the poetry department of The New Yorker, Ms. Schmidt holds a master's degree in philosophy and American poetry from New York University.

"We are living in a neo-golden age of poetry," said Mr. McGrath. "We want to embrace that fact and show our support for the genre. Years ago, newspapers regularly printed poetry. We would like to reinvigorate that tradition."

An audio recording of "Harm's Woods," read by Mr. Bellows, will be available on NYTimes.com/books starting Friday, February 15. Audio components will be available online for the poets who are published in the Book Review.