April is National Poetry Month, as designated by the Academy of American Poets. The event is sponsored by several different cultural/literary, education, and publishing organizations including the American Booksellers Association and American Libraries magazine (published by the American Library Association). You may notice National Poetry Month posters appearing in the local libraries; every year’s poster has a beautiful unique design and features a line from a noted poet’s work. Silver City is very fortunate to be home to many poets, many of whose work was featured in the limited-edition volume Poems². The Southwest Festival of the Written Word, particularly through our Random Acts of Literature, is involved in poetry readings that occur in multiple venues throughout Grant County year-round. We are very pleased to be featuring poets prominently during the 2013 Festival at the end of September. Until then, there are plenty of ways you can celebrate National Poetry Month, even without leaving home. You can browse through poems by over 2000 poets on the Poetry Foundation website; one of these might be inspirational enough to bookmark it, print it, or share it with a friend. You can also subscribe to the Academy of American Poets poem-a-day email list. April 18 is Poem in Your Pocket Day–write down your favorite poem to keep in your pocket throughout the day, or find an excellent pocket-poem here. This is also a great month to explore the work of slam poets, including the Albuquerque poet laureate Hakim Bellamy. This performance poetry is an amazing form of self-expression, ideal for open-mic events.
Pause for a minute and enjoy a poem this month!