Wake: Up to Poetry
A healthy dose of poetry
As the spring semester is flying by, we have two days left in March and then it will be…National Poetry Month! National Poetry Month was started in 1996 by the Academy of American Poets and is held every April. It is a time when anyone from poetry publishers to libraries and schools come together to celebrate and promote the importance of poetry. Across the country there are poetry festivals, readings, workshops and more!
But how can the average individual get involved in National Poetry Month? A great way is to participate in Poem in your Pocket day on April 14th. The idea is to carry a poem around with you all day (whether it be on a piece of paper in your pocket or saved on your iPhone) so that you can share it and your love of poetry with others throughout the day. Some ideas that the Academy of American Poets gives are to put your favorite poem on the back of some business cards or post them on your social media page.
Poets.org is even introducing a poetry iPhone app! Check it out here. It features daily poems, so you can get your poetry fix at anytime and anywhere you go! Just think, you could find, read and send a poem to friends all on the same device! I think that is pretty amazing.
As for here at the press, we will be participating in National Poetry Month by sending out a new poem each week. If you want to be included in this, send an email to wfupress@wfu.edu. This is a great way to be exposed to some of our poetry you haven’t read before and maybe you will even find a new favorite poem to put in your pocket on April 14th!
Alyssa Walter