The Fine and Rare Imperial ‘Zitan’ Stand and Base (est. $180/250,000) is nearly identical to one in the Qing Court Collection, preserved in the Summer Palace, Beijing. The generous use of the thick zitan timber, and the intricately and deeply carved design, were extravagances justifiable only for imperial purposes. Used to hold jardinières or censers, the stand and base represent the very best of Qing dynasty furniture work...Link!

Poetry News: The unique haiku poetry book has verses written by women from across the world. This year a 23 year old HIV positive single mother from India P Chandrakala got her poem featured to mark International Women's Day.Link!

Poetry News: Redmond and Crook County Highs Schools will be represented in the semi finals of the annual Poetry Out Loud contest to be held Saturday, March 13th at Salem Kroc Center in Salem.Link!

Leading the watercolours and drawings on offer will be John Robert Cozens’ majestic landscape of Lake Albano and Castel Gandolfo – Sunset (shown left), which comes to the market with an estimate of £500,000-700,000.

But please: if the good news holds and Labour really does have an electoral future, let's bring books – and passion – back into it. The history of our working-class ancestors is what makes many of us vote Labour; and we get at that through poetry, because it is a feeling....Link!

The winner of the Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction will be named on Monday, February 8 at a gala luncheon in Toronto. ...Link!

The show kicked off with a performance by B'yachad called "Machol Yonatan" (Dance of Jonathan), a fast-paced dance that featured forceful, drumline-esque music and choreography. This was followed by Mochila's smooth and relaxed "Blossoming."...Link!

Just a few weeks ago, Naomi had no idea she would fall in love with spoken word poetry. But now she is hooked. She is one of 10 students in a brand new class dedicated to slam poetry and the art of hip-hop ...Link!

Poetry News: The events provided by Pro Musica for Joplin reached a new high on Friday night at the Concert Galilei. With poetry read and Celtic music played, the audience was shown images of the universe taken with the Hubble telescope....Link!

The "VOCAL: Relieve 2010" poetry slam concert on Sunday night might have felt more like a club than a benefit concert, but that only added to its appeal. ...Link!

Her latest novel, The Swan Thieves, tells the story of a psychiatrist trying to figure out why his patient, a painter named Robert Oliver, attacked a priceless canvas hanging in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. Kostova recently spoke to the National Post’s Mark Medley about vampires, obsessions, and French Impressionist painting....Link!

Often referred to as the "poet of the blackbirds", Ledwidge was an Irish patriot and Nationalist, killed in action during World War I. In this exhilarating, entertaining and engaging dramatisation of life in barracks, Ledwidge faces questions relevent to this day. Why would an Irishman join the British Army and can there be poetry in the midst of war?Link!

Poetry News: For some of us, the thought of "poetry" conjures up an image of sitting in a classroom interpreting the random ponderings of some of the world's greatest poets such as Shakespeare, Chaucer, and Wordsworth.Link!

Billed as the single largest gathering of poets in history, the ceremony will be hosted by Mickey Rooney, with Pulitzer Prize-winning poet W.D. Snodgrass and National Book Award winner Lucille Clifton in attendance....Link!

The vast majority of the six hundred poems I read to find Pushcart candidates were not experimental or disjunctive, because I didn’t even go seeking in most journals that tilt that way. (Though I did try Fence and New American Writing and Jubilat.) The vast majority of the six hundred poems were fairly clear while also dreary or thin or derivative or false.”...Link!

Poetry News: Ron Rash was the seasoned author of nine books of fiction and poetry before his 10th, the stunning 2008 "Serena," established him as one of the best American novelists of his day.Link!

Carol Majahad of the North Andover Historical Society told me, "It was rare for a woman to be as educated as Anne was in her day." One of Bradstreet's poems "gives a good reflection of popular opinion at the time."...Link!

Hence, one poem can mean two completely different things to two different people. The exact same poem can also change it's meaning, as a reader changes their inner moods or feelings, like the weather. So a poem is also ever changing....Link!

Veterans for Peace Cape Cod Chapter is accepting entries for its 15th Annual Peace Week Poetry Contest. Peace Week will be celebrated April 11-17. Poets from kindergarten level through adult are invited to submit their work. Entries must be received (not just postmarked) by 5 p.m. April 2; mailing address is 39 Muskeget Lane, Centerville, MA 02632...Link!

Palmsonntag forms the centrepiece of Contemporary Art on the Leading Edge, a diverse, uneven and engaging medley of painting and sculpture, now spread over several galleries at the Art Galley of Ontario. ...Link!