Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Another Poetry Month

I could say - aren't they all? I noted International Poetry Day last month but missed the 1st week of National Poetry Month - late start. Let's not call it a metaphor for anything just yet.

About poetry, Poetry Daily and Poetry.org (American Academy of Poets) are all offering "poem a day" specials, the first two automatically emailed to newsletter subscribers and the last (sans newsletter) by email subscription. The Poetry Foundation (splendid site, good audio & children's poetry collections) does its bit too.

An interesting post @ Slog opens with "Poetry is in trouble" and is about the current state of poetry, as currently under discussion @ the Foundation site. According to the NEA and Newsweek, in 2008, just 8.3 percent of adults had read any poetry in the preceding 12 months.

Does that make April catch-up month? Don't read poetry (or much of anything else) and pollute the rest of the year: make up for transgressions in April like the cultural/ environmental equivalent of Easter Duty. I don't think so.

And more: Poem in your Pocket Day, Poetry Read-a-Thon - and even a Poster & an official logo. The only thing missing - drunken brawls. Where is Dylan Thomas when we really need him?

http://www.poets.org/images/npm_poster_2009_200.gif
click image to view larger version

Last year, chez plog surveyed local offerings to and served up April Cyberspecials and selected poetry blogs. This year's April is an open book, for the most part still unread. What can you say about a month that opens with Fool's Day and ends with Walpurgisnacht? Talk about mulch for metaphor...

Options (not limited to April): read poetry; read about poetry, poetics, prosody; write poetry; all or any combination of the preceding. Doing just one does not make much sense to me, but this is not the kingdom of the ants where all that is not compulsory is forbidden as well as the other way around.

Month's mission (impossible too according to NEA & Newsweek), should I choose to accept it: plog poems & writers writing them. Already on the menu: more Fibonacci & other poems from Tony; introducing other poets & poetry. More poetry & related peculiarosities, less announcing & calendration.

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