William Bliss Carman was born on April 15, 1861, in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada.

While at school, Carman discovered a love of classical literature through the poetry of Dante Rossetti and Algernon Swinburne.

It inspired him to write, and he published his first poem in the University's monthly paper in 1879.

Overall, William Carman published 13 books of poetry and several books of prose and drama.

His health began declining between 1908 and 1920, and he decided to return to Canada to start the first of a very successful line of reading tours. In 1921, Carman was awarded the title of Canada's Poet Laureate.

He sadly passed away on June 8, 1929, from a brain hemorrhage. He was cremated and eventually returned to his hometown of Fredericton for burial.

Twenty-five years later, the town planted a scarlet maple tree on his grave to honor a stanza in his 1892 poem "The Grave Tree."

It read:

Let me have a scarlet maple

For the grave-tree at my head,

With the quiet sun behind it,

In the years when I am dead.

We are reading from Behind the Arras, a poetry collection published in 1895.

John Mullen was attached to the art world for 11 years while he worked to supply an artist with ideas (and got paid a pittance for it). However, that job allowed him the space to steep himself in art (and literature, to a point). Mullen has a real love for artists and feels that they contribute to society in more ways than is appreciated.

He also believes that the imagination (taking from Blakean thought) is the real force for good in the human psyche. In his mind, imagination is the key.

His love of writing poetry stretches back many years, and he tries to learn as he goes. He does try to distance himself from other poets for fear that he'll end up trying to imitate them. Instead, he falls in love with certain poems that catch his attention.

Especially Blake. In Mullen's eyes, Blake's artwork is more profound than his poetry, but the English author's words affected Mullen as well.

We are reading five of Mullen's poems that reflect his love of words, imagination, and appreciation for the art world. If you'd like to learn more about this author and his works, you can connect with him on Twitter.

Ardelia Marie Cotton was Born July 22, 1836, in Nobleboro, Lincoln County, Maine, to Henry Page Cotton and Emeline Seiders. She married Benjamin Franklin Barton in 1872, ended up moving to California at some point, and passed on November 9, 1914, at the age of 78.

During her life, she wrote at least five books that we know of, most of them poetry collections, all of which received favorable reviews.

We are reading from Autumn Leaves, a poetry collection published in 1908. Interestingly enough, the preface to this collection states that the original manuscript perished in the great fire of April 1906. She began writing it anew on June 12, 1908, and published it in September of that same year.

According to Ardelia, "It has given me new courage, and by searching, perhaps you may find one leaf among my Autumn Leaves that you will feel was painted expressly for you, and is worthy to be pressed upon the tablet of your heart."

(Explicit warning for disturbing visuals)

Brandon D. Henry is a Texas-based author who's been writing and publishing for over twenty years. He specializes in writing horror stories and gothic poems and likes to draw inspiration from both fantasy and fact.

Henry has 48 horror collections published through Straightjacket Publications, and you can find them all through his Amazon profile. We are reading from a collection of gothic-style love poetry titled Coffin Shaped, which is part of his Midnight Forever 17 series.

To learn more about this author and his works, visit his Amazon profile or connect with him on Instagram.

Hello! It's me, Erynn- the creator and host of the Present Poetry Podcast!

Earlier this month was Present Poetry's ONE-YEAR anniversary, and I cannot thank you enough for the support you've given this podcast.

To celebrate, we're expanding!

Present Poetry now has a Twitter Account, a Facebook Page, and (very soon), a Website!

Thank you again, and I hope you enjoy more Present Poetry episodes in the years to come!

Walter Horatio Pater was born on August 4, 1839, and was the second son of Dr. Richard Pater. After his father's untimely death, Walter's family moved to Enfield, where Walter attended the Enfield Grammar School until 1853 when he left to attend the King's School in Canterbury.

While there, Walter read John Ruskin's Modern Painters, which inspired a love of art and prose. He eventually gained a school exhibition, which he took to the Queen's College in 1858.

In 1866, he anonymously published his first critical essay on the metaphysics of Coleridge in the Westminster Review. He then published an essay on Winckelmann in 1867, followed by the Poems of William Morris in 1868.

In the following years, the Fortnightly Review printed essays on Leonardo da Vinci (1869), Sandro Botticelli (1870), and Michelangelo (1871).

These publications eventually became Walter's first collected works, known as The Renaissance: Studies in Art and Poetry, which he published in 1873.

Walter Pater died of heart failure caused by rheumatic fever on July 30, 1894. He is now buried at the Holywell Cemetery in Oxford, and his home at 12 Earl's Terrace, Kensington, is now part of the English Heritage.

Anne Hunter was born to Robert Boyne Home of Greenlaw Castle, Berwickshire, in 1742. She was the eldest daughter, and while we don't know much about her early life, we do know that She began writing as early as the 1760s. In 1765, her lyrical poem "Flowers of the Forest" was published in The Lark, an Edinburgh periodical, and offered her a moment of fame.

In 1771, she married acclaimed scientist and surgeon John Hunter. They eventually had two children, and Anne would go on to host elaborate salons with the chief literary personalities of her time.

Those parties would introduce her to the Bluestockings, a group of women who would become Anne's friends. They encouraged her poetry, and she published a collection in 1802 but received little acclaim.

One critic even said her poetry had no depth of thought, but rather a natural feeling of expression that may make them worth reading.

After her husband's death in 1793, Anne fell on hard times until the combined efforts of parliament and her son-in-law bailed her out of debt and set her up for retirement, where she lived until her death in 1821.

We are reading from the Modern Scottish Minstrel, an anthology of poetry compiled by Charles Rogers LL. D. and published around 1855.

Ali Ashhar is a poet, short story writer, and columnist from Jaunpur, India. He is the author of Mirror of Emotions, a poetry collection published by Notion Press in 2021.

Following the release of his book, he was chosen as the Best Debut Author for the year 2021 by The Indian Awaz. Ashhar was also the recipient of an India Prime 100 Authors Award.

His works have been published extensively in the journals of 15 countries, including the Indian Review, The Raven Review, Wild Court International Poetry Journal, and The Bosphorus Review of Books.

To learn more about Ashhar and his works, you can connect with him on Instagram or follow his profile on All Poetry.

K.G. Munro is an author and poet from Scotland.

Her poetry has been featured in numerous publications, such as Indian Periodical, Poetry Potion, Splendeur magazine, A Thin Slice of Anxiety, Spillwords, Fevers of the Mind, Friday Flash Fiction, and Poet Magazine.

She also has a poetry collection coming out soon.

Joel O'Connor is an Australian poet who likes to draw on scientific research to create poems about the connection between science and magic in the natural world.

His love of poetry began in his younger years, and he won his high school's poetry award during his last two years there.

That award inspired him to create Poetry Australia, a non-profit organization to help promote and support poetry from non-traditional sources.

Aside from his poetry, Joel is also a playwright and has written several plays that have been performed in Sydney and Melbourne.

You can connect with him through Instagram and Twitter. You can also check out his website at Joeloconnor.net.