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Poetry

Galway Kinnell's 'Wait' Poem Offers Hope to Those in Crisis

What Happened The Marginalian recently highlighted Galway Kinnell’s poem ‘Wait,’ which the acclaimed American poet wrote specifically for a student who was contemplating suicide. The piece explores how Kinnell addressed what philosopher Albert Camus called ’the fundamental question of philosophy’ - whether life is worth living - through compassionate verse rather than philosophical argument. Kinnell, who won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1983 and served as Vermont’s poet laureate, crafted the poem as a direct response to his student’s crisis.

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Walt Whitman's Timeless Life Advice Resurfaces in New Analysis

What Happened The Marginalian, a popular literary publication, published a detailed analysis of Walt Whitman’s life philosophy as expressed in the original preface to “Leaves of Grass.” The article focuses on Whitman’s advice to “love the earth and sun and the animals” and to “re-examine all you have been told at school or church or in any book, dismiss whatever insults your own soul.” The piece explores how Whitman, who was 36 when he self-published his revolutionary poetry collection in 1855, offered readers a blueprint for authentic living that challenged conventional wisdom of his era.

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The Marginalian Honors Late Friend Emily Levine's Legacy

What Happened The Marginalian, the popular literary blog by Maria Popova, published a moving memorial piece titled “How to Live and How to Die” on February 15, 2026. The article centers on Emily Levine, a comedian and philosopher who died February 3, 2019, just as Popova’s book “Figuring” was being released. The piece features an audio recording of Levine reading “Cold Solace” by Anna Belle Kaufman - the last poem she read during what Popova describes as their final “poetry retreat” in January 2019.

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