Mojo Monday ~ Poetry

po·et·ry   [poh-i-tree] 

–noun

1.  the art of rhythmical composition, written or spoken, for exciting pleasure by beautiful, imaginative, or elevated thoughts.

2.  literary work in metrical form; verse.

3.  prose with poetic qualities.

4.  poetice qualities however manifested: the poetry of simple acts and things.

5.  poetic spirit or feeling: The pianist played the prelude with poetry.

6.  something suggestive of or likened to poetry: the pure poetry of a beautiful view on a clear day.

The Academy of American Poets, which was founded in 1934,  led the initiative to designate April as National Poetry Month. Their goal was to widen the attention of individuals and the media—to the art of poetry, to living poets, to our complex poetic heritage, and to poetry books and journals of wide aesthetic range and concern. The first National Poetry Month was held in April of 1996.  The Acadeny of American Poets has enlisted a variety of government agencies and officials, educational leaders, publishers, sponsors, poets, and arts organizations to help.

 

Magnetic Fridge Poetry

The goals of National Poetry Month are to:

• Highlight the extraordinary legacy and ongoing achievement of American poets
• Introduce more Americans to the pleasures of reading poetry
• Bring poets and poetry to the public in immediate and innovative ways
• Make poetry a more important part of the school curriculum
• Increase the attention paid to poetry by national and local media
• Encourage increased publication, distribution, and sales of poetry books
• Increase public and private philanthropic support for poets and poetry

They also created a list called 30 Ways to Celebrate.

Here are some of examples from the list:

• Take a poem out to lunch.
• Recite a poem to family or friends.
• On April 14th Celebrate Poem In Your Pocket Day
• Attend a poetry reading.
• Put a poem in a letter.
• Memorize a Poem.  
• There is even a book called Committed to Memory: 100 Best Poems to Memorize (1996) which is suggested as a great guide to choosing poems which lend themselves easily to memorization. 
• Sign up to receive a poem a day via email or if you have an iPhone download for free Poem Flow and receive a new poem every day

Poetry as an art form

Additional Resources:

National Poetry Month

The Academy of American Poets 

What are your thoughts about poetry?

Were you exposed to poetry as a child?  

Do you have a favorite poem?  

Do you write poetry?  Would you share one with us?

Poet Katie Makkai performing Pretty