April - Poetry Month

To celebrate poetry this month, we will read a poem every day and save them in a poem pocket at the circulation desk to draw one on the last, Poem in Your Pocket Day, April 29.

There are a great number of beautiful poems! The book of Psalms and the Song of Songs are not forgotten. Everyone chooses a poem to start their day off and experience the might of poetry, this powerful way to awake the world and color it with words!



MAYBE WE HAD TO COME THIS FAR
(for Irwin) by Douglas Worth

for this meadow
to pierce us
with such a rush of green

for this faint trickle
of life at summer snowline
to remind us how precariously
crawling we are
on the thin crust of the Earth

for these woods
cool and fragrant, still
with the hush of arrival
to refresh us so, offering
streams for our kneeling, berries
more precious than jewels

for these butterflies
busy with sweetness
resting a moment
unafraid, on our hands
to seem such an honor

for us to want so urgently
to fit in
taking our place in the landscape
as creatures among creatures
turning, not back, but at last,
humbly, in praise
to the clear grace of water
the common gift of light
(from Catch the Light, Selected Poems, recommended by Brenda Power/Choice Literacy)

30 Poets in 30 Days starts today, April 1!

Children’s Poet Laureate Mary Ann Hoberman and 29 other poets will unveil one of their previously unpublished poems each day in April in celebration of National Poetry Month.

The project, 30 Poets/30 Days, is the brainchild of blogger and author Gregory K. Pincus, who’ll share one new poem each day in April via his blog, GottaBook, and on Twitter.

Read more in School Library Journal .

April is National Poetry Month

Celebrate National Poetry Month in April with new ideas and activities!

The High School celebrates the Poetry Month with the Poetry Night on April 23: students will read either their own poetry or their favorite poems.

The Library Poet Tree will be planted at the library entrance on April 1, and students can bring original poems to be hung as the tree's leaves.

The Academy of American Poets honors it with Poem in Your Pocket Day on April 30. The idea is simple: pick up a poem, carry it in your pocket, and pass it to family, friends, cooworkers. Browse this site and select poems for the day.

You will see posters around the campus and "pockets" filled with poems in the library so everyone will be able to take one and pass it on .

As Silvia Virdell wrote in Booklinks, March issue, "If you’re looking for fresh ways to approach poetry with young people, you might consider multimedia methods for experiencing the visual and aural qualities of poetry. Using popular Internet sites, CDs, and a variety of software, kids can explore the imagery, emotion, and language of poetry in ways that are creative, playful, and multisensory." I would say, this is true not only for young people.

Here are some links and ideas of how to use digital tools to that can be useful when we approach the Poetry Month:

How to Read a Poem Out Loud

Poetry for Kids - 25 most popular web sites

Poetry 180:
A poem a day for American High Schools from the Library of Congress.

Canonical Verse: 75+ links

Poetry Teachers: links featuring poetry in class, humorous poems, and poetry theater ideas.

Words and Pictures – Poems: Ten colorful poems with animation, audio and activities

April is Poetry Month
A long list of links from Education World

Scholastic Poetry writing workshops
Workshops with Jack Prelutsky, Karla Kuskin, and Jean Marzollo
Poetry engine workshop, meet poets online.

I Spy Riddle in Rhyme
Each month features an I SPY picture and asks you to write the riddle.

Silvia Virdell's blog Children's Poetry

Ideas for Digital Activities:
- Add a poem to your email footer
- Post a poem on your blog or social networking page
- Podcast or vodcast your favorite poem(s)
- Listen to audio and podcasts published by The Poetry Foundation

Peggy and Marina