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Robert J. Tiess @robertjtiess.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

A thought experiment from my childhood... Extraterrestrial Poetics: Gaining Inspiration from All the Poetry Beyond Our World Article link: robertjtiess.substack.com/p/extraterre... #poetry #writing #imagination #creativity #extraterrestrials #space #universe #metaphors #ideas #inspiration

robertjtiess.substack.com

Extraterrestrial Poetics

Gaining Inspiration from All the Poetry Beyond Our World

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Reposted by Robert J. Tiess

Robert J. Tiess @robertjtiess.bsky.social · 18/06/2026

Joy Harjo has a new poetry collection arriving in October! Book Links: wwnorton.com/books/978132... people.com/joy-harjo-cl... New to Joy? Learn more about this amazing poet: www.joyharjo.com poets.org/poet/joy-harjo www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/joy-ha... www.loc.gov/programs/poe... #poetry

wwnorton.com

Cloud Runner

Three-term U.S. Poet Laureate returns with a moving collection about grief, loss, and how art can transform suffering., Cloud Runner, Poems, Joy Harjo, 9781324123651

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Robert J. Tiess @robertjtiess.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

A new free article of mine on Substack... "Welcoming All the Words" On acknowledging and appreciating all the poets. Yes, ALL of them/us. robertjtiess.substack.com/p/welcoming-... #poetry #poets #writing #writers #tolerance #unity #together #liberty #respect #acceptance #community #democracy

robertjtiess.substack.com

Welcoming All the Words

Acknowledging & Appreciating All the Poets. Yes, All of Them.

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Robert J. Tiess @robertjtiess.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

* NOW AVAILABLE * Sidekick: Poems by Naomi Shihab Nye The Book boaeditions.org/book/sidekick/ The Poet + www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/naomi-... + poets.org/poet/naomi-s... + en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naomi_S... See also... www.texasobserver.org/palestinian-... #poetry #poets #books #newbooks

boaeditions.org

Book Template - Boa Editions

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Robert J. Tiess @robertjtiess.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

Poems as Bottled Messages, or Poets as Parents: A True Tale of Two Similes Two different perspectives on writing and submitting works for publication. I hope you enjoy this. Link: robertjtiess.substack.com/p/poems-as-b... #poetry #poetrycommunity #poets #writers #writing #community #perspectives

robertjtiess.substack.com

Poems as Bottled Messages, or Poets as Parents

A True Tale of Two Similes

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Robert J. Tiess @robertjtiess.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Post 3/4 Websites on Steinem National Women's History Museum www.womenshistory.org/education-re... NY Times Obituary: Gloria Steinem www.nytimes.com/2026/09/03/u... Smith College: Gloria Steinem Papers findingaids.smith.edu/repositories... (continued) #feminism #feminists #equality #progress

womenshistory.org

Gloria Steinem

Trailblazing feminist Gloria Steinem is an acclaimed journalist and one of the most visible, passionate leaders and spokeswomen of the women’s rights movement. Discover more at womenshistory.org.

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Robert J. Tiess @robertjtiess.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Post 1/4 Gloria Steinem (1934-2026) Steinem was a tireless champion of feminism and other causes, like Indigenous rights, labor rights, social justice, freedom, and human progress. You can learn more about Steinem through the following links: (continued) #feminism #feminists #equality #progress

gloriasteinem.com

Gloria Steinem

The official website of the writer, lecturer, political activist, and feminist organizer, Gloria Steinem.

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Robert J. Tiess @robertjtiess.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

ARRIVING SOON Otherwhere: New and Selected Poems, 1976-2026 by Carolyn Forché About the Book www.simonandschuster.com/books/Otherw... About the Poet + carolynforche.net + www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/caroly... + poets.org/poet/carolyn... + en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carolyn... #poetry #poets #books

simonandschuster.com

Otherwhere

From a Pulitzer Prize finalist and central figure in American poetry, a landmark collection of new and selected poems chronicling five decades of w...

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Robert J. Tiess @robertjtiess.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

My personal tribute to Wendell Berry, an incredible poet, writer, and advocate who passed away yesterday, August 31, 2026. Link: robertjtiess.substack.com/p/wendell-be... I hope it honors him well and resonates with you. Thank you. #poetry #poets #writers #authors #essays #wendellberry #tributes

robertjtiess.substack.com

Wendell Berry (1934-2026)

A Brief Lesson & Look at a Motivated Poet, Writer, Farmer, & Activist

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Robert J. Tiess @robertjtiess.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

A moment of silence for poet, essayist, novelist, and farmer Wendell Berry, who passed away today. Learn about Berry and his works: + www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/wendel... + poets.org/poet/wendell... + en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wendell... NYT Obituary www.nytimes.com/2026/08/31/u... #poetry #poets

poetryfoundation.org

Wendell Berry

Poems, readings, poetry news and the entire 110-year archive of POETRY magazine.

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Robert J. Tiess @robertjtiess.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

COMING SEPTEMBER 2026 The Going is Forever: Poems by Elizabeth Metzger About the Book milkweed.org/book/the-goi... About the Poet www.elizabethmetzger.com www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/elizab... milkweed.org/author/eliza... See also: Lying In: Poems milkweed.org/book/lying-in #poetry #books

milkweed.org

The Going Is Forever | Milkweed Editions

A collection of “oracular, crystalline, and utterly original” poems wrestling with a life’s shifting social structures and the multifaceted totality of the self (Maggie Millner). Elizabeth Metzger’s…

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Robert J. Tiess @robertjtiess.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

She is also someone I proudly count among my influences as a poet.

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Robert J. Tiess @robertjtiess.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Mary Oliver, a remarkable and inspiring poet and essayist everyone should know. A New PBS Documentary: Saved by the Beauty of the World www.pbs.org/wnet/america... About the Poet: www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/mary-o... poets.org/poet/mary-ol... #poetry #poets #literature #books #pbs @pbs.org

pbs.org

Mary Oliver | American Masters | PBS

View all Mary Oliver content on the American Masters website.

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Robert J. Tiess @robertjtiess.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

An intro to my Original-Creative Criticism project... Notes Toward a Principled, Original, & Creative Literary Criticism: Democratizing Literary Studies, Theory, & Criticism for Now and the Future robertjtiess.substack.com/p/notes-towa... #literature #criticism #poetry #education #creativity

robertjtiess.substack.com

Notes Toward a Principled, Original, and Creative Literary Criticism

Democratizing Literary Studies, Theory, and Criticism for Now and the Future

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Robert J. Tiess @robertjtiess.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

"Reasons to Read" is a flyer I created as part of my personal promotion of literacy, education, mindfulness, empathy, tolerance, and critical thinking. I hope you find it useful. Besides the JPG, there's a PDF I shared with my library thrall.org/think #books #reading #library #literacy #education

more than a few
REASONS to READ

There are so many reasons to read, and so many potential benefits!

Why read? We can...

• be entertained
• enjoy creativity
• become more creative thinkers
• nurture our sense of wonder
• rejoice in the art of words
• entertain alternative perspectives
• learn new things
• understand people and things better
• identify misinformation
• correct misunderstandings
• be encouraged to ask new questions
• engage in critical thinking
• seek truth and receive wisdom
• broaden our expressive ranges
• become more considerate and tolerant
• relate more with others and the world
• develop and strengthen our empathy
• expand our imaginative capacities
• increase our interpretive capacities
• discover interests
• keep up with current events
• revisit history and learn from it
• prepare ourselves for changing times
• exercise our rights to read
• support the freedom of expression
• become better readers and persons
• teach others what we’ve learned
• gain and spread hope and inspiration

Reading many different things by many different persons
can make these benefits even more possible to achieve!

Why? Consider the contrary (something called confirmation bias)…

If we only immersed ourselves in works echoing our sentiments and supporting our suppositions, we’d eventually be missing out on potentially enlightening views and educational opportunities. (Ironically, if that were the case, we might not even know that was happening!)

There’s no true bliss in ignorance, but reading feeds and frees a mind!

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Robert J. Tiess @robertjtiess.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

Four of My Odyssey-Related Poems Poems from 2019 to 2025, shared here while there's still some current interest in Homer's Odysseia. robertjtiess.substack.com/p/four-of-my... #Poetry #poems #homer #poets #odyssey #Odysseus #TheOdyssey #literature

robertjtiess.substack.com

Four of My Odyssey-Related Poems

Poems from 2019 to 2025, shared here while there's still some current interest in Homer's Odysseia

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Robert J. Tiess @robertjtiess.bsky.social · 25/07/2026

Completely revised and expanded, my essay: "Nostalgic Gardens Beyond Our Gates" a meditative and motivational piece on an image in T. S. Eliot's Four Quartets. I hope you enjoy it. Essay Link robertjtiess.substack.com/p/nostalgic-... #poetry #essays #nostalgia #past #hope #future #inspirational

robertjtiess.substack.com

Nostalgic Gardens Beyond Our Gates

My Revised Essay on T. S. Eliot’s Four Quartets, Decisions, What Was, and What Yet Might Become...

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Robert J. Tiess @robertjtiess.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

My review of Maya C. Popa's new poetry collection IF YOU LOVE THAT LADY: robertjtiess.substack.com/p/my-glowing... The book wwnorton.com/books/978132... MCP/LARB interview lareviewofbooks.org/article/maya... Opening poem substack.com/@mayacpopa/n... @mayacpopa.bsky.social #poetry #poets #books

robertjtiess.substack.com

My Glowing Review of IF YOU LOVE THAT LADY: POEMS by Maya C. Popa

FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARS

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Robert J. Tiess @robertjtiess.bsky.social · 18/07/2026

A 1999 essay of mine gets an update and returns online in three parts for your entertainment... Relishing the Endeavoring: On Loving the "Struggles" of Poetry and Transcending the Perceived Limits of Expression robertjtiess.substack.com/p/relishing-... #poetry #poets #writing #writers #essays

robertjtiess.substack.com

Relishing the Endeavoring: Part I

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Robert J. Tiess @robertjtiess.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

Post 2/2 Axe in Blossom: Last Poems & Fragments by Franz Wright www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/221869... Lift Every Voice by Phillip B. Williams www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/777602... I've developed library poetry collections for years, and I love to feature new books and #poets. #poetry

penguinrandomhouse.com

Lift Every Voice by Phillip B. Williams: 9780143138860 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books

From award-winning poet and novelist Phillip B. Williams, an astonishing new collection that revels in the possibility of creating one's own light Captivating for both its grandeur and intimacy, Lift...

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Robert J. Tiess @robertjtiess.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

Post 1/2 Additional poetry titles on the July horizon include... Continental Drift by Mai-Linh Hong (a debut collection) www.mai-linhhong.com/poetry Tree of Knowledge by Victoria Chang us.macmillan.com/books/978037... #poetry #poets #books #newbooks #poetrylovers #literature #reading

us.macmillan.com

Tree of Knowledge

A poet watches the limbs of a eucalyptus tree get sawed off: the image persists, refracting and recurring across poems of art, language, selfhood, memory, an...

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Robert J. Tiess @robertjtiess.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

Post 3/3 Other links: Article midbrow.org/maya-c-popa-... Goodreads www.goodreads.com/author/show/... Substack mayacpopa.substack.com Other Books www.mayacpopa.com/books Maya's Conscious Writers Collective www.consciouswriterscollective.com @mayacpopa.bsky.social #poetry #poems #poets #books

consciouswriterscollective.com

Conscious Writers Collective

Writing

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Robert J. Tiess @robertjtiess.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

Post 2/3 Maya reading the opening poem substack.com/@mayacpopa/n... About the Poet... Academy of American Poets poets.org/poet/maya-c-... Poetry Foundation www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/maya-c... Maya’s Website: www.mayacpopa.com #poetry #poems #poets #books @mayacpopa.bsky.social

poets.org

Maya C. Popa

Maya C. Popa is a Romanian American poet and the author of Wound is the Origin of Wonder, (W. W. Norton, 2022), and American Faith (Sarabande Books, 2019).

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Robert J. Tiess @robertjtiess.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

Post 1/3 In July we'll be blessed with a new poetry collection by Maya C. Popa! Publisher wwnorton.com/books/978132... From Maya mayacpopa.substack.com/p/i-can-fina... Blurbs mayacpopa.substack.com/p/the-blurbs... (continued) #poetry #poems #poets #books @mayacpopa.bsky.social

wwnorton.com

If You Love That Lady

“One of my generation’s finest poets—a truly peerless voice. . . . An immense book and a searing achievement.” —Ocean Vuong, author of <em>The Emperor of Gladness</em>, I...

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Robert J. Tiess @robertjtiess.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

Yes. If you've enjoyed any of Orr's poetry, you will enjoy this.

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Robert J. Tiess @robertjtiess.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

Currently in awe of... We Interrupt This Broadcast: Poems by Gregory Orr About the book... wwnorton.com/books/978132... "...the engine / That drives us: a yearning for beautiful meanings." . . . A must read-and-reread, like all of Orr's works. #poetry #poets #books #newbooks #reading

wwnorton.com

We Interrupt This Broadcast

A stunning new volume from a poet whose body of work illuminates the ways “language can become a tool for carrying what feels unbearable” (Krista Tippet, <em>On Being</em>)., We Interrupt ...

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Robert J. Tiess @robertjtiess.bsky.social · 18/06/2026

wwnorton.com

Cloud Runner

Three-term U.S. Poet Laureate returns with a moving collection about grief, loss, and how art can transform suffering., Cloud Runner, Poems, Joy Harjo, 9781324123651

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Robert J. Tiess @robertjtiess.bsky.social · 30/05/2026

A new post on my free Substack... "Becoming Poetically Limitless" substack.com/home/post/p-... If you check it out, I hope you enjoy it. #poetry #poets #poetrylovers #writing #writers #creativewriting #creativity #progress #freedom

substack.com

Becoming Poetically Limitless

Crossing the Threshold of Our Selves

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Reposted by Robert J. Tiess

Maya C. Popa @handle.invalid · 24/05/2026

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Robert J. Tiess @robertjtiess.bsky.social · 10/05/2026

Happy Mother's Day to all. In keeping with that theme, here's my poem "Maternal Earth" addressing Mother Earth. It's from my second book, May We Learn from the Earth. ALT text + text link: allpoetry.com/poem/1683204... #poetry #poems #nature #naturelovers #mothersday #mother #motherearth #earth

THE TITLE OF THE POEM:
Maternal Earth

.THE POEM:
First mother of our fledgling world,
you nurture forests, mountains, seas.

Come speak your earthly verse to us
so we may learn your poetry.

Teach us your ways. Sustain us, please.
Defend us from our vanities.

Remind us to revere all life,
seek peace, and leave our gluttony.

Admonish us and set us straight.
Inspire us to cultivate.

END OF POEM.

Poem by Robert J. Tiess © 2022

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Robert J. Tiess @robertjtiess.bsky.social · 10/05/2026

Something I submitted to a "liberty" poetry challenge: DEARLY DESPOTIC (Freedom by way of self-control, not limiting others.) My lines alternate with iambic tetrameter/pentameter in the spirit of being/doing better. ALT text in image + link allpoetry.com/poem/1910516... #poetry #poem #democracy

THE TITLE OF THE POEM:

Dearly Despotic,

THE POEM:

There is one province in this world
I think you'd do so well to crush tonight,

a nameless place within your range,
if you should ever choose to govern it,

or seize it even in the dark,
as others sleep, dream laughter, liberties,

before dawn comes recalling them
to wake up to delusion's cruelest rule.

I mean a state you'd conquer quick,
if you would stoop to master it, at last,

command it with an ironed mind,
new constitution, redder better truths,

with domination we may praise,
if you could best the worst of it, and fast,

the inward country of your self,
where no flag slumps, no bygone anthem blares,

republic you have yet to lead
from spineless fights to kinder rightful might

ascending to the yields of peace:
a nation greatened by just sovereignty.

END OF POEM.

Poem by Robert J. Tiess Copyright © 2026

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Robert J. Tiess @robertjtiess.bsky.social · 03/05/2026

Empathy Empowering A brief article I posted on Substack that builds on something I posted last year: robertjtiess.substack.com/p/empathy-em... If you agree with any of this, please share/repost. Thank you. ❤️ #poets #poetry #empathy #peace #progress #society #unity #peace #empowement #prosperity

robertjtiess.substack.com

Empathy Empowering

As a poet and a person, I try to learn day by day, hour by hour, as I read, write, live, contemplate, and dwell on questions I believe to be central to humanity.

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Robert J. Tiess @robertjtiess.bsky.social · 30/04/2026

My #haiku for #DailyHaikuPrompt 4/29 themes #spring #rain #grain ... .. . seeds beneath spring rain: soil becomes leaves of wheat turning into gold . .. ... #poetry #poem © me 2026 #farms #farming #growing #plants #agriculture #crops #wheat @dailyhaikuprompt.mastodon.world.ap.brid.gy

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Robert J. Tiess @robertjtiess.bsky.social · 26/04/2026

My #haiku for the #DailyHaikuPrompt 4/25/26 themes #evening #yellow #leaves . : . : . earth evening class yellow leaves the lesson here between deluge, drought . : . : . #poetry #poem © me 2026 #trees #water #nature #balance @dailyhaikuprompt.mastodon.world.ap.brid.gy

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Robert J. Tiess @robertjtiess.bsky.social · 20/03/2026

Always a joy to read and hear your work, Marcía. Looking forward to more!

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Robert J. Tiess @robertjtiess.bsky.social · 18/03/2026

My two #haiku for #DailyHaikuPrompt #late #snow #rose . snow approaching spring, cold-shouldering calendars: weather's never late easy-going rose opening unhurriedly into timelessness . #poetry #nature #flowers #seasons #poem © me 2026 @dailyhaikuprompt.mastodon.world.ap.brid.gy

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Robert J. Tiess @robertjtiess.bsky.social · 16/03/2026

That's awesome, Francesca! So happy for you!

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Robert J. Tiess @robertjtiess.bsky.social · 16/03/2026

For #vss365 #assure . ENGRAVING World clock stuck on 11:59, uncertainty assures the worst, but then your heartbeats mallet me with the chiselling of your words, and I feel details, see relief; my life's a certain art again. . #poetry #poem © me 2026 @cribbowens.bsky.social @vss365hq.bsky.social

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Robert J. Tiess @robertjtiess.bsky.social · 15/03/2026

For #7syllablesentence March 12th to March 14th... . #bow Slow-bowed notes moaned soulfully. ~ #ooze Time oozed like a bandaged wound. ~ #will Despots have to hate free will. . @msfulofgrace.bsky.social @poetguygabe.bsky.social #writing #writingcommunity

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Robert J. Tiess @robertjtiess.bsky.social · 15/03/2026

I enjoyed the themes you provided, Debbie. Thank you, and best wishes!

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Robert J. Tiess @robertjtiess.bsky.social · 15/03/2026

For #vss365 #warmth theme . COLD SNAP soft tropic warmth which weaves these palms till fingers slack leave g a p s and touch goes tum- bling back to o-p-e-n a i r . #poetry #poem © me 2026 #poetrycommunity #writingcommunity @vss365hq.bsky.social @cribbowens.bsky.social

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