In honor of Robert Frost’s 150th birthday this year, we asked a group of LOA staff members and friends to try their hand at memorizing an entire Frost poem over the course of a week. Using tips and techniques outlined in the recently released Robert Frost: Sixteen Poems to Learn by Heart by Jay Parini, they not only discovered hidden dimensions within Frost’s poetry, but gained an appreciation for how internalizing a writer’s language can enrich its meaning, taking it off the page and making it a permanent part of our inner lives.

In this video, our memorizers take us on a guided tour through their journey with Frost, from the challenges of recalling an especially tricky stanza to the rewards of reciting a poem from start to finish. Along the way, you’ll hear suggestions for practicing memorization yourself, as well as why, in our age of endless technological distraction, it can be especially useful to slow down, read carefully, and lock Frost’s timeless lines within our minds.

Have you ever memorized a Robert Frost poem? If so, we’d love to hear about it in the comments of the video.