Love Poems for Valentine's Day, New on Poets.org

February 5, 2015 New on Poets.org   For Black History Month this February we’re celebrating the rich tradition of African American poetry with a new essay about Langston Hughes and more! This month love is also in the air, and we’ve gathered our favorite love poems to share.

Exclusive Essay: Kevin Young on Langston Hughes   Read Kevin Young’s new essay about Langston Hughes’s iconic debut poetry collection The Weary Blues, originally published in 1926 and forthcoming in a new edition later this month from Knopf.        Teachers: Don't miss our new lesson plan on the African American experience. Listen to historic readings by Gwendolyn Brooks, Lucille Clifton, and Langston Hughes. Check out more featured essays, books, and poems for Black History Month. Love Is in the Air   In honor of Valentine’s Day, we’ve collected classic and contemporary love poems for your reading pleasure on Poets.org. Here’s a sampling... “How Do I Love Thee? (Sonnet 43)” by Elizabeth Barrett Browning “Wild Nights—Wild Nights! (249)” by Emily Dickinson “In a Boat” by D. H. Lawrence “How to Love” by January Gill O’Neil “I Want the Certainty of Love in Another Language” by Christie Ann Reynolds “Credo” by Matthew Rohrer “poem I wrote sitting across the table from you” by Kevin Varrone “Love’s Body” by Jonathan Wells Valentine’s Day Gifts for Poets   Our newly stocked Poets Shop has poetry-inspired gifts for that special someone in your life—from hand-crafted jewelry to aromatic eraser setsto letter-pressed journals. Take a look.         Awards Deadline: February 15   Check out our two translation prizes: the $25,000 Raiziss/de Palchi Fellowship, which includes a five-week residency at the American Academy in Rome and is given for an English translation of Italian poetry, and the $1,000 Harold Morton Landon Translation Award, given for a published translation of poetry from any language into English.      Request the Official National Poetry Month Poster   Don’t forget to order this year’sNational Poetry Month poster, designed by 2014 National Book Award finalist and New Yorkercartoonist Roz Chast, featuring a line of poetry by Mark Strand. The poster is available for free through Poets.org while supplies last.