The month that celebrates poets and poetry is April

Do you like poetry?

Most people say no or look at you with a blank stare or a shrug. A poem speaks overtly or covertly to you with words and their meaning. The sound in each sentence with its ebb and flow can produce shock and awe or loud guffaws. April is National Poetry Month. The acronym for this month is #NaPoWriMo. There is also a global poetry effort called #GloPoWriMo. Both encourage people to write poetry every day in April. Prompts are distributed on many sites to give you a catalyst to create new work.

What was the first poem that you remember hearing or learning? It was probably The Lord's Prayer if you are Christian or a stanza of scripture from another religion. Maybe it was a gem from Dr. Seuss? A specific poem may inform or incite you, smitten once written or ponder the day. Challenge yourself to read or write poetry this month. Here are some famous authors with classic works : Robert Frost, James Baldwin, William Shakepeare, Sylvia Plath, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Phillis Wheatley, and Emily Dickinson. Some of these authors may be on your bookshelf, if not, you can purchase them online or in person, go to your local library or use your favorite search engine.

Here are links to the Academy of American Poets and the Poetry Foundation: https://poets.org/ , https://www.poetryfoundation.org/visit Learn about poetry and poetics or subscribe to their magazines. You can sign up to receive a poem a day via email. They are both non profit organizations therefore, you can become a member or give a donation. Here is a list of some contemporary poets: Amanda Gorman, Joy Harjo, Rupi Kaur, Ocean Vuong, Maya Angelou,Tracy K. Smith and Billy Collins.

Enjoy the month and write on!