Celebrate National Poetry Month

April is the cruellest month, breeding
Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing
Memory and desire, stirring
Dull roots with spring rain.  - T. S. Eliot, "The Waste Land"

April is National Poetry Month.  We've compiled some resources to inspire you to celebrate.

• Visit our Pinterest Board featuring just a fraction of the poetry books and anthologies we own in the Library.

Follow CCC Library's board Poetry on Pinterest.

• In addition to books of poetry, we also have a plethora of resources for writing poetry. Take a look...

Follow CCC Library's board Writing Poetry on Pinterest.

• Poets.org is a treasure trove of information including full poems, biographies and selected bibliographies for poets, audio and videos, information on writing and reading poetry, and resources for educators. The site also includes 30 ways to celebrate National Poetry Month:

A sampling of ideas from Poets.org

• Poetry Out Loud  - sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation - is a contest that encourages youth to learn about great poetry through memorization and recitation.  Students master public speaking skills, building self-confidence, and learn about their literary heritage.  Piloted in Washington, DC and Chicago in 2006, the program has grown to involve millions of students across the country.

• The Poetry Foundation - browse poems and poets, listen to audio and podcasts, download the poetry app, and learn about all aspects of poetry on their website.  
  

• Favorite Poem Project - Founded by Robert Pinsky, 39th Poet Laureate of the United States in 1997, the Favorite Poem Project invited Americans to submit their favorite poems.  An anthology, suggestions for hosting local events and videos of individual Americans reading and speaking personally about poems they love are included on the site.

• Poetry of America - Library of Congress - The “Poetry of America” initiative is part of the Poetry and Literature Center’s 75th Anniversary celebration. Through two features, “Poetry of American Identity” and “Poetry of American History,” this initiative explores how poetry connects to the following themes: immigration and migration, work and industry, social change, and peace and war. 

  

  From the Library of Congress - Poetry of America resource

No matter your interests, you can find a poem on it. Try browsing Poets.org or the Poetry Foundation for any number of poems on apples to zebras and everything in between. Including basketball...

I seemed to watch myself go up      effortlessly for the basket,      and saw the ball drop through the net.
- Ray Fleming "One on One in Basketball"