National Poetry Month

Celebrate – April

“I’ll tell you a secret: we don’t read and write poetry because it’s pretty. We read and write poetry because we belong to the human race; and the human race is filled with passion. Medicine, Law, Commerce, Engineering… they are noble and necessary races to dignify human life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love are things that keep us alive” – Dead Poets Society (1989), Robin Williams

Perhaps just because I am more tuned in to poetry at this point in my life but it seems like there are so many more poetry resources and a ton of information on the topic that comes into my email. My favorite poetry emails are from the Academy of American Poets. Everyday I get an email with a Poem-a-Day included. You can sign up for free. Not only is it in text but also a click away to a recording of someone reciting the poem, often the author. At the end of each poem is an ‘about this poem’ which gives a context for the poem. I find this very helpful since my ‘poetry education’ has been slight. In addition, there is information about the poet.

Each month there is a poet who serves as the ‘guest editor’. The host sometimes has a theme for the month and the daily poem connects with the theme. It’s an interesting way to absorb poetry. Most of the poems are very serious but not always. Sometimes the layout of the poem is non-traditional and it connects directly to visual art, which of course, I enjoy. I copy and paste my favorite poems into a word document and print it to keep in my ‘sayings and poetry’ book. I use this book when I’m looking for inspiration or to use in a handmade card. It is filled with my favorite sayings and poems, a lifetime of ‘good stuff’. I find a morning that starts with listening to a poem from the Academy of American Poets is a wonderful way to start the day. You might want to consider doing so for yourself or consider sharing with your students.

In celebration of National Poetry Month the Academy of American Poets is hosting their 20th annual Poetry & the Creative Mind. The event takes place online on Wednesday, April 26, 2023 at 7:30 and is open to the public. The poets include the following and the event will be hosted by Richard Blanco and Kimiko Hahn.

• Andrew Bird
• Alan Cumming
• Ethan Hawke
• Emily Igwike – National Students Poet Program
• Daniel Dae Kim
• Eric Kim
• Ada Limon – U.S. Poet Laureate
• Jonathan Majors
• Shantell Martin
• Liam Neeson
• Rosie Perez
• Molly Shannon
• Malala Yousafzai

This is a fund raiser however, it’s not necessary to contribute to attend. The proceeds support National Poetry Month and the Academy of American Poets Education Program, providing thousands of free resources to teachers.

You can register for this event for FREE at THIS LINK. Perhaps you’ll be inspired to include poetry in your life in a new way!