Sunday, April 01, 2012

April is the Poet-est Month

I'm sorry that I must begin by disagreeing with T.S. Eliot, I don't believe that April is the cruelest month....at least not now that it is also National Poetry Month -- both in the US and in Canada! I always enjoy celebrating poetry even more so than usual during April, and I'll be sharing some reviews of new poetry collections that I've read this month, along with my regular posts.

To kick off Poetry Month, though, I want to share a few links to some great poetry initiatives out there (only a few of the hundreds I could share)

Firstly, on Twitter, if you are there, please join the #todayspoem movement! This was started by @Bookgaga and consists of posting links or lines from favourite poems (she's also created a poetry based Pinterest board!) It is a great way to share and find out others' favourites. I've really been enjoying it.

Then, if you feel like listening to some wonderful poets reading their own work, check out Brick Books' huge collection of poetry podcasts. It's a pretty neat way of encountering some new poetry.

I'm also participating in the 2012 National Poetry Month Blog Tour hosted by Serena at Savvy Verse & Wit (a great supporter of everything poetic). Hope you'll take a look at the schedule and follow along with the wide variety of poetry based posts this month. I'll be posting something special on Friday the 13th...

There are endless resources and celebrations and activities for Poetry Month -- just check out the Poets.org page for tons of links. Or explore The Poets House (which makes me wish I lived in New York!) If you have teens or are a teacher (or like me, just find it fascinating) you could also take a look at Poetry in Voice, a very cool project that has kids competing to recite poetry. Wish it would have existed when I was in high school...though I probably would have been too shy to participate anyhow ;)

If you have your own favourite poetry links to share, please do so. I'd love to hear what they are.

Happy National Poetry Month to everyone! Hope this month encourages you to see things differently and celebrate the world's beauty in all its forms.

4 comments:

  1. Ahhh.... poetry, the [nearly] forgotten science.
    Thank you for this informative posting, Mel.
    I dabble in the art myself a bit. Here is a link to my site -- not nearly a full compendium of my poetry, but a lot of it is there:
    www.poetrypuddle.blogspot.com

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  2. Hi Melwyk: Thanks for promoting Poetry Month - I've gotten into it on my blog and am really enjoying this excuse to dive in! And thanks for the all the links and notes about happenings - have to go out and investigate now that I'm all fired up! Ruby

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  3. I've added your recent poetry posts to the Mr. Linky on the National Poetry Month tour. Feel free to add the tour button to any other poetry reviews you do this month.

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  4. TWO IN A LANDSCAPE
    In a bare landscape with dry vineyards,
    here and there a mammoth, overgrown with newsprint
    like scales. A head in front
    and another head in the rear. It watches us
    intently.

    In a wooden shack, our backs against
    a rotten door. The trunk approaches
    through the gaping window. You protect me with your hair's shadow.
    I protect you with an indigo whisper.

    Nonetheless we come back.
    We come back eternally,
    head thrown back
    against head erect.

    Eyeball to eyeball.

    Miroslav Holub

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