April is more than just the month when sun tries to return to the Seattle skies. It’s also National Poetry Month. What does poetry mean to you? For some of us, we recall that haiku writing assignment in elementary school. Then there’s that familiar and famous line from Robert Frost of “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.” Even though some of your friends may be digging into the 800-plus pages of Charles Dicken’s Little Dorrit, consider doing something different by reading or trying your hand at poetry. Here are some places to start.
Finding poetry at the Library is easy. A library catalog search for summer poetry brings up A Dream of Summer: Poems for the Sensuous Season. Want to listen to poems? A search for poetry cds in the library catalog lets one know about The Classic Hundred Poems: All-Time Favorites. At any public library, you can browse lots of American poetry on the shelves in the Dewey 810s. As the 800s progress, so do the 
countries of origin of the literature — i.e. 840s for French, 860s for Spanish. Libraries are THE place for how-to books — aspiring poets will find useful info in The Everything Writing Poetry Book: A Practical Guide by Tina D. Eliopulos.
Web sites abound about poetry: poetry itself, poets, and the art of writing poetry. Remember some of the lines of a poem? Don’t let yourself go crazy — use the PoemHunter search engine to track it down.
Seattleites can visit Open Books, a local poetry bookstore in Wallingford, as well as attend events at Capitol Hill’s Richard Hugo House, a writer’s resource center. The city also has its very own Poet Populist, Mike Hickey, elected by the people.
The Northeast Branch is again holding its Annual Poetry Contest. Original one-page poems written in the last year are collected from children, teens, and adults. Awards, including the Wedgie Award Trophy, and an opportunity for all to read poetry take place on Tuesday, May 19, at 6:00 p.m. at the branch. And Poets West has programs with open mike sessions on the first three Saturdays of April at the Green Lake Branch.
If you would like to get started in writing poetry, consider registering for the free class Poetry Writing for Beginners. This class will be held on Monday April 27th at the University Branch from 5:30-7:30 PM (light snacks will be served). To register, call (206) 684-4063.
Yes, April will soon end and that sun may peak in and out of clouds. But, keep reading and thinking about poetry and maybe even writing a poem!
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