Tag Archives: William Butler Yeats

If They Lose, Irish Can Turn to Poetry

By Robin Bates | Published: January 5, 2013

Even if they lose the national championship game, the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame have Ireland’s poetic legacy to fall back on.

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The End of the World As We Know It?

By Robin Bates | Published: December 21, 2012

A number of poets have written poems about the apocalypse. But it’s always figurative, never literal.

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Great Political Novels Not Agenda Driven

By Robin Bates | Published: September 27, 2012

Great political novels are rich in spiritual attitude. Poor ones are agenda driven.

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The Terrible Beauty of Political Fanatics

By Robin Bates | Published: September 18, 2012

In “Easter, 1916,” Yeats gives us a framework for understanding the ambivalence of Muslim moderates towards protesters.

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A Poem for Those Feeling Dragged Down

By Robin Bates | Published: December 1, 2011

In “The Fascination of What’s Difficult,” William Butler Yeats gives us a poem that will help get us through end-of-the-year workplace fatigue.

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Poetry to Read at a Hippy Wedding

By Robin Bates | Published: June 8, 2011

Today is my wedding anniversary so you get to hear how I wove poetry into the ceremony. W. B. Yeats, Archibald MacLeish, D.H. Lawrence, and the Song of Solomon all made appearances. Get ready for time travel back to a very different era.

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Slouching towards Bethlehem?! Get a Grip

By Robin Bates | Published: October 4, 2010

“We are starting to wonder whether Congressional Democrats lack the courage of their convictions, or simply lack convictions,” stated a recent New York Times editorial. The editorial was displeased that the Democrats were afraid of standing up against the Bush tax cuts, due to expire by the end of this year. What with cowardly Democrats […]

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So You Want to Tell Your Story . . .

By Robin Bates | Published: July 20, 2010

Balthus My friend Rachel Kranz, author of the novel Leaps of Faith, is visiting us at the moment, and we were talking about the number of times that people approach her about writing a book about their lives. As they envision it, they will tell her their stories and she will write them up. We […]

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