National Poetry Month is celebrated every year during the month of April. Whether you are a seasoned poetry reader or are looking for some ways to gradually expose yourself to the world of poetry, these ideas can be used and modified to fit yourself and/or library.
Sign up for Poem-a-Day
Visit the website poets.org to sign-up for a poem-a-day delivered to your email. This site showcases emerging poets from all over the world, has an audio option, and information about the poet and poem. Additionally, if you would not like to provide your email address, you can simply check the site each day for a new poem.
Create a Poet-tree Display
A poet-tree display can be done in a couple different ways. One way is to draw a tree on a piece of paper and fill it with your thoughts and ideas about trees. What do they look like? How do they make you feel? Try to use the words to reinforce the shape of the tree. Another way is to have a large cutout of a tree with each leaf or branch containing its own poem written by a group of individuals. Whether you are looking for something more personal or a display to share at your library, this activity can be modified.
Partake in Book Spine Poetry
This is a fun and simple way to engage with poetry. Go to your local library or look through your own collection of books and use the titles of a few books to create your own poetry. Take a picture and share it with your family and friends.
The Book Spine Poem photo above was created in the Friends of the Library Bookstore – come check out some new to you books at great prices and create your own poem with your “to be read” list!
Host a Poetry Jam
Hosting a poetry jam can be a great way to bring the community together over. You can have a theme and sign-ups ahead of time, or it can be a more open setting depending on the space and time you have. Make sure to consider your audience and if you want to it to be family friendly.
Attend an Open Mic Night
This is a great way to gain exposure to poetry in a relaxed setting. You can share your works, or you can just sit back and listen to others. There are many places in and around the Orlando area that host open mic nights. Orlando Weekly is a great place to check for upcoming events such as this.
Poetry is for everyone, and I hope these ideas strike some inspiration in you this poetry month!
Lyndsay is an ESL specialist at OCLS
