10 Ways to Celebrate National Poetry Month
April 01, 2016
Regular readers of Catching Happiness know I post a poem
here approximately every other Wednesday. I share this simple pleasure in an
effort to show that poetry doesn’t have to be the broccoli of the literary
world. It can be beautiful, simple, thought-provoking, funny, entertaining—and
it doesn’t have to make your stomach (or your brain) hurt.
April 2016 marks the 20th anniversary of National
Poetry Month, so if you’re at all interested,
it’s an ideal time to discover the flavor of different types of poetry. You
don’t have to attend a poetry slam or immerse yourself in obscure verse to do
so, either. Here are 10 (mostly) simple ways to expand your taste for poetry.
Bon appetit!
Combine National Poetry Month with the trend of coloring for
adults by downloading a free poetry coloring book.
Who says poetry has to be serious? Enjoy some funny poems,
such as the collection I Could Pee On This: And Other Poems By Cats.
If you’re in a book club, suggest choosing a book of
poetry—or even a single poem—as focus for a meeting. Or check out this free guide to starting your own “poetry café.”
Sign up for Poem-A-Day, or for a weekly poem via email from American Life in Poetry. (This last is where I get the
poems I highlight here.)
Participate in National Poem in Your Pocket Day on April 21, 2016. (You can download a poem for
your pocket here, too.)
Buy a book of poetry, or check one out from the library. Two
collections I’ve enjoyed recently: She Walks in Beauty: A Woman’s JourneyThrough Poems, and Good Poems for Hard Times. I also love many of
Mary Oliver’s poems.
Learn How to Read a Poem and/or How to Write a Poem.
Watch a TED talk of a poet reading his or her work.
Click here to visit Name Poem Generator, type in your name
(or someone else’s), and the site will generate an acrostic poem.
If you write poetry, join NaPoWriMo and write a poem a day,
or check out some of the sites participating. (I’ve participated in several
30-day challenges, but I’m not sure I’m up for writing a poem a day!)
Please share with us any poetic discoveries you
make this month!
5 comments
Thank you for these. What great sites and ideas! I am going to visit some of them...
ReplyDeleteKathy thank you friend for these links. I so love a good poem. Think I will start with the poems by Cats: )! Hope your week is off to a great start. Hugs!
ReplyDeleteKathy thank you friend for these links. I so love a good poem. Think I will start with the poems by Cats: )! Hope your week is off to a great start. Hugs!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great resource! I always think I'd like to make more time for poetry. I'm signing up for A Poem A Day right now.
ReplyDeleteI hope you all enjoy the links--poetry should be a pleasure. Maybe you'll find some new and fun discoveries!
ReplyDelete