Maybe by now you’ve encountered poets moaning and groaning over writing a poem a day for the thirty days of April. Or maybe you’ve seen poets enthusiastically quoting W.S. Merwin, a pastime I call “Merwining” for the month ahead. Maybe some poets you know choose to just sit back cooling their heels while watching others complete the task. Certainly, you’ve seen some fiction writers crying and sucking their thumbs (this is not their month). No matter how it’s come your way, National Poetry Month is an exciting time for us poets! Yes, there’s the challenge set forth by the Academy of American Poets to write a poem a day, but there’s also a general raveling of the literary arts where links, videos, posts, and prompts populate the web-space as much as celebrity gossip, political douchbagery, and cat memes do the rest of the year. So, in honor of the month of madness and my favorite time of year here are the best things we’ve discovered so far during National Poetry Month.
The Million-Line Poem presented by Tupelo Press, each day editors from Tupelo Press pick another couplet to add to this epic poem. Anyone can submit their lines in the hopes of being added! Great fun.
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A Poem from Us, a blog presenting videos of everyday people reading their favorite poems. Also see, Robert Pinsky’s Favorite Poem Project.
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Poets.org Tumblr page, lots of posts, encourages you to get inspired!
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New post on Apartment Therapy called “Literary Style: 15 Writer’s Bedrooms” with renditions of the living quarters of writers like Virginia Woolf and Victor Hugo.
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“Merwining” example No. 1, 30/30 feedback from Daniel McGinn to another poet:
This one feels like a polished piece. A poem a day is going to be hit and miss. Post the drafts; it takes guts to post them. They aren’t expected to be perfect or fully edited. “My words are the garment of what I shall never belike the tucked sleeve of a one-armed boy.” -W.S. Merwin
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Kristen Wig reading from Susanne Somers’ book of poetry. Seriously excellent.
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Astronaut, Don Pettit, living on the International Space Station tries his hand at writing a poem for National Poetry Month. The poem is titled Space is my Mistress.
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Follow the trending hashtags of #NationalPoetryMonth and #Napowrimo on Twitter. Also worth checking out: #PoemADay. Here’s April 4th poem, the title piece from Patricia Smith’s new book Shoulda Been Jimi Savannah.
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Finally, a poem to keep you motivated on Day 5 of National Poetry Month The Wooden Overcoat by Rick Barot from Poetry Magazine’s online source poetryfoundation.org.
Well, I’m off to write my 5/30. I hope these links take you on a radical journey! Let me know what else you find out there to keep you motivated. Happy hunting!
