Heightened language—one possible or partial definition of poetry—isn’t the first thing one associates with comics. Yet comic book artists take into account the way words appear on the page to a degree poets will find familiar. How many lines should accompany each image? How high should the dialogue balloon float? The ratio of printed words to blank space plays a role in whether a poem or strip succeeds.So it seems like a good idea to invite some graphic novelists to work with some of the 4,000+ poems from their archive. It's also a wonderful way to introduce these poems to readers who wouldn't otherwise touch poems even with a ten foot pole.
As a sampler, here's a panel from Gabrielle Bell's interpretation of Emily Dickinson's poem:
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