As a poet, I always look forward to April. T.S. Eliot may call April the "cruelest month," but for us poets, it might just be the greatest month of the year. That being said, below are 10 ways to get involved in National Poetry Month, whether you are a poet, a lover of poetry, or a poetry novice (haven't read much, but think it might be cool/might help you find your soulmate). If these don't work for you, I'll be back next week with 10 more suggestions on how to celebrate!
1. Read a book of poetry!
Choose a book of poetry that seems interesting to you. It can be a classic poet, like Shakespeare or Eliot or Virgil OR it can be a more modern poet, like Sarah Kay or Sierra DeMulder or Jeanann Verlee. Pro tip: Poetry books are usually a lot shorter than novels, which means... You can read more of them!!
2. Celebrate Shakespeare's Birthday!
Perhaps this may seem a bit nerdy, but this can be the coolest party ever. There can be balloons, Will Power t-shirts, a cake, and party games involving Shakespearean insults! Celebrate the Bard in style. Pro tip: Not a Bard fan? Listen to the soundtrack of Something Rotten! where Shakespeare is totally a complete fraud!
3. Spend the month learning about your favorite style of poetry!
Does rhyme interest you? Or sestinas, villanelles, haikus, sonnets? Grab a pen, learn about what makes your favorite poems so awesome! You can map rhyme schemes and learn about different types of meter. Pro tip: You can also try imitating some of these styles if you are feeling brave. Some of them aren't so hard!
4. Watch 1 YouTube video of a spoken word/slam poet a day!
Thank God for YouTube making poetry super accessible! Check out your favorite spoken word poets through Button Poetry, Poetry Slam Inc, SlamFind, and others! You can even make your own poetry playlist to save your favorites for later. Pro tip: Feel free to comment on the videos you really love and share them on social media for all of your friends!
5. Post quotes from your favorite poems/poets on social media!
Have a stanza that changed your life? Post it with its author on the social media of your choice! Sometimes you can even tag the poet if you have their Twitter handle. By sharing these super awesome lines, you'll be thinking more creatively and helping your friends do the same! Pro tip: You can also turn these quotes into pictures or draw fan art. As long as you give credit to the original author, feel free to make more art!
6. Watch a movie about a poet/poetry!
Many people are unaware how many movies have been made about poets and poetry! Here are just a few: Bright Star, Shakespeare in Love, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Dead Poets Society, Poetic Justice, Slam, Invictus, Street Poet, etc. All of these poems have a poetic influence and could potentially be life-changing. Pro tip: Prepare yourself popcorn and tissues, bring a friend, and prepare to feel all of the emotions.
7. Have a conversation with a friend about a poet of your choice!
I know this sounds super simple, but even the discussion of poetry broadens minds. For instance, the picture above was graffiti in a bathroom stall at my college and created a conversation on Instagram following the picture being taken. Pro tip: Talk about the influences of the poets and what makes the poems so powerful, reaching through time and space.
8. Support your local open mic!
For this month, I charge you with a mission of finding a local open mic or poetry group and showing up. Whether it's one time or weekly or daily, become a part of the poetry community. Participate in keeping poetry alive, whether you read or write or just enjoy listening to spoken art. Pro tip: If you are feeling particularly brave, read either an original poem or a poem you love a whole lot up at the mic. OR if your local open mic is having a poetry slam, try competing or judging the slam!
9. Write 30 haikus in 30 days!
This is commonly known in the poetry community as 30 for 30. However, if you don't feel like you have the time to do full poems every day, you can definitely try doing 30 haikus. Haikus can also be super powerful and wonderful, even though they seem short. Pro tip: Post these haikus on a blog or social media. You might even be able to Tweet the haikus because they are so short!
10. Write 30 poems in 30 days!
This is the major way a lot of poets celebrate National Poetry Month. The long daunting process of writing a poem a day for an entire month. OR waiting until April 29th and trying to write 30 poems in a day. OR starting out strong writing a poem a day until about halfway through the month, and then just giving up because life has a way of spinning out of control and you've run out of words to talk about it. That being said, this challenge isn't for the faint of heart. This challenge will not be easy. But, with the support of your friends and poetry family, we know you can do it! Pro tip: Feel free to post these poems or excerpts of these poems on social media or a blog or even try to get them published in literary magazines. Create a Facebook page for them. Join writing groups that will keep you encouraged. Believe in yourself! You can do it!
If you choose to do any (or all) of these things, let me know! Feel free to comment, share, post your own ideas below! I'll be back next week with 10 more ideas on how you can continue to celebrate this awesome month and I'd love to hear about all the ways you are choosing to celebrate what is arguably the most poetic month of the year. Enjoy and Happy #NationalPoetryMonth!
