April is National Poetry Month. Take some time to celebrate with the library! We can help you learn more about poetry as an integral part of our culture, introduce you to forms of poetry or poets you’ve never read, expose you to the work of local poets who participate in our poetry events, or, if you’ve never been a fan or given poetry much thought, we can help you develop an appreciation.
To celebrate National Poetry Month in the community, we will be hosting a variety of poetry events at our branches. Share a poem you’ve written, bring a favorite poem to read aloud, or just listen as others share verse at Main Library’s Write Like You Mean It Poetry Showcase on April 6. Mix tasty carbs and verse on April 15 at Scaleybark’s Poetry and Pancakes or Mint Hill’s Poetry and Pastries. Independence Regional is hosting an Adult Poetry Slam on April 19. And, if you decide a month of poetry isn’t enough, Independence also hosts an Adult Poetry Club that meets on the third Wednesday of each month.
If you prefer to sit down with a book of verse, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library’s collection offers works to suit all tastes. For poetry that creates a distinct sense of place, check out A Poet’s Dublin, by Eavan Boland, Coming In To Land, by Andrew Motion, or The Black Maria, by Aracelis Girmay. If you enjoy poetry with a hefty dose of pop culture, try a volume by Morgan Parker, like Other People’s Comfort Keeps Me Up at Night, or There are More Beautiful Things Than Beyonce. We also offer up the classics, such as Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass and Shakespeare’s Sonnets.
Our online resources have much to offer as well. Freading, one of our ebook resources, provides a robust array of poetry, including modern classics from Anne Sexton, Edward Abbey, Alice Walker, and Jack Kerouac, as well as titles from young, highly acclaimed voices like Alex Wong and Alexandra Elle. We also offer the Chadwyck-Healey Poetry Collection, with extensive offerings of African American, American, and English poetry. Films on Demand provides access to more than 2,600 films on poets and the power of poetry. And, if you are a poet or aspire to be one, Universal Class offers Poetry Writing 101, and Zinio has current and past issues of Poets & Writers available for download.
However you choose to celebrate National Poetry Month--whether you write one poem or read one hundred--let Charlotte Mecklenburg Library be your guide!