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National Poetry Month

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!

Disclaimer:
The views expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Southwest Word Fiesta™ or its steering committee.

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We respectfully acknowledge that the entirety of southwestern New Mexico is the traditional territory, since time immemorial, of the Chis-Nde, also known as the people of the Chiricahua Apache Nation. The Chiricahua Apache Nation is recognized as a sovereign Native Nation by the United States in the Treaty of Amity, Commerce, and Friendship of 1 July 1852 (10 Stat. 979) (Treaty of Santa Fe ratified 23 March 1853 and proclaimed by President Franklin Pierce 25 March 1853).

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Mimbres Press of Western New Mexico University is a traditional academic press that welcomes agented and unagented submissions in the following genres: literary fiction, creative non-fiction, essays, memoir, poetry, children’s books, historical fiction, and academic books. We are particularly interested in academic work and commercial work with a strong social message, including but not limited to works of history, reportage, biography, anthropology, culture, human rights, and the natural world. We will also consider selective works of national and global significance.