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Poetry, Poetry, Poetry
Did you know that there is a "National Poetry Month"? In April, schools and libraries across the country plan special lessons and events celebrating the craft of poetry. In April, you can't swing a compilation of American poetry around without hitting an open-mic event. In April, otherwise rational people begin to rhyme all the time and order lattes in verse. But April won't be here for ages! Ha ha! We, here at the San Juan Island Library will not be constrained by convention! We will not give in to pressure to restrain the poetry to a single month! We're letting the poetry loose ahead of schedule - this month! With a teen poetry workshop and slam this Saturday January 19th and a general poetry open-mic on Friday January 25th. Poems are the words of music, the words of the heart. A poem can be any and every emotion and idea raw or refined. Read from the page a poem can move a silent reader to tears or laughter. But my favorite way to experience a poem is as read aloud by the poet him or herself. Spoken word poetry: Poems created specifically to be performed aloud for others to hear. It's like singing, only you don't have to be able to carry a tune. I once took part in a day long workshop lead by poet Naomi Shihab Nye in which she created and performed poems that after four and a half years I can still remember - not the words, but the feeling of them because I heard the emotion behind the words as she spoke them. Reading poetry gives you a glimpse into the heart of a poet's feelings and that's a great thing, but experiencing spoken word poetry is like seeing and living those feelings in technicolor. And sharing your own poetry aloud is a great way to share your work. Words on a page can easily be interpreted any which way, but when you say them aloud, with your own emphasis and emotion - you know your thoughts are clearly represented. So let your voices raise up in poetic verses! I'd never heard of Naomi Shihab Nye before that workshop in 2003, but she's now one of my favorite poets - you might be one open-mic or slam away from being someone's favorite yourself. I plan to be at both of this month's poetry events - I hope to see and hear you there!
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