National Poetry Month

April is National Poetry Month and the library has many books of poetry on display for your browsing pleasure (and fun activities throughout the month!).

One of my favorite books of poetry is The Hungry Ear: Poems of Food and Drink edited by Kevin Young. It could be the topic of food and drink but I think I enjoy it so much because Mr. Young has put together a well thought out and diverse collection of over 150 poems. Contributors include Elizabeth Bishop, Billy Collins, Seamus Heaney, Rumi, and many more.

From the chapter Soup Lines & Staples, a poem by Langston Hughes: I, Too, Sing America:

I, too, sing America.
I am the darker brother.
They send me to eat in the kitchen
When company comes,
But I laugh,
And eat well,
And grow strong.

Tomorrow,
I’ll be at the table
When company comes.
Nobody’ll dare
Say to me,
“Eat in the kitchen,”
Then.

Besides,
They’ll see how beautiful I am
And be ashamed –

I, too, am America.

- Langston Hughes

Let's hear some of your favorite poems.  You can comment here or join us on Facebook or Pinterest.  And stop by the Library with a 'poem in your pocket.'  We'd love to hear from you!  SG

Batter Up!

If opening day for Baseball is important to you, then make sure you read a classic poem to celebrate America’s favorite sport. Ernest Lawrence Thayer's Casey at the bat : a ballad of the Republic sung in the year 1888 is a baseball poem that is a must-read for adults and children alike. It is as entertaining today as it was way back when. The poem was originally published in the San Francisco Examiner on June 3, 1888. Since that time it has been recited in Vaudeville, on stage, in the movies, and on television. There’s even a sequel to the poem that tells about our mighty batter’s most magnificent moment. Enjoy. DB

For the Dogs

The Big New Yorker Book of Dogs is a compendium of essays, cartoons, and articles spanning the New Yorker's impressive back catalog.  From the good and the bad to the top dogs and the under dogs, works by James Thurber, John Updike, Roddy Doyle and E. B. White (to name but a few) explore our sometimes rocky but always entertaining relationship with man's best friend.  Includes a foreword by Malcolm Gladwell.  HM

April is National Poetry Month

National Poetry Month is a month-long, national celebration of poetry established by the Academy of American Poets. Why not check out some of the poetry books in the Library's adult collection? May we recommend Poems by Elizabeth Bishop, Poet's Corner by John Lithgow or Mother: A Cradle to Hold Me by Maya Angelou. For a nice collection of poems, stories, songs and speeches check out A Patriots Handbook by Caroline Kennedy. If you would like to hear poets reading their own work we have the audio collection Poetry Speaks (audio) edited by Elise Paschen, which includes readings by Robert Frost, Sylvia Plath, Walt Whitman, Langston Hughes and Dylan Thomas, to name just a few.