Letters to the editor: Student takes ‘stanza’ on National Poetry Month
Editor:
Many people don’t know that April is National Poetry Month. However, this has been acknowledged since its induction in April 1996 by The Academy of American Poets. In order to recognize the significance of poetry in America, schools, libraries, booksellers, publishers, poets and literary organizations have collaborated with non-profit organizations as well as businesses across the country to organize festivals, readings, workshops, signings and other events associated with poetry.
The object of National Poetry Month is not just to make the public aware of poetry and poets, but also gain their support and recognize the achievements of American poets specifically. It is a time for brainstorming new ideas of how to bring poetry and poets to the people. Hopefully, this month will also make poetry more present in the media, local as well as national. If more Americans are introduced to poetry and the pleasures of reading it, this will help to increase publication, distribution, and sales of poetry books.
This month is also designed to help people realize that poetry is an essential element of school curriculum. Teachers should not only read poetry to their classes, but should also encourage their students to bring in their favorite poems, attend poetry events, and even write their own poems.
Wednesday, April 6, the poet Robert Dana will give a reading in Arts and Sciences Auditorium at 7:30 p.m. Also this month, watch for the publication of our school’s own literary magazine, The Peacock’s Feet. For more information about National Poetry Month or poetry in general, such as event scheduling and lesson plans, here are a few Web sites that are very helpful:
The Academy of Ameri-can Poets:
www.poets.org
The Association of Writers and Writing Programs: www.awpwriter.org
The Poetry and Literature Center of the Library of Congress: www.loc.gov/poetry/
John Roswell Crutchfield
Senior
Creative Writing
Posted by Colonnade Archives
on Apr 1 2005. Filed under Letters to the Editor.
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