Celebrate National Poetry Month

"The rain plays a little sleep song on our roof at night
And I love the rain."  
April Rain Song, by Langston Hughes

In honor of National Poetry Month the library is holding three poetry events. The Evening Book Group will discuss poetry Tuesday, April 3 at 7 p.m. Please bring a favorite poem or anthology to share. The library has a wide variety of anthologies to choose from. Recent titles include: The Penguin Anthology of Twentieth Century Poetry, ed. by Rita Dove; Poetry 180: A Turning Back to Poetry, ed. by Billy Collins; She Walks in Beauty: A Woman’s Journey Through Poems, ed. by Caroline Kennedy, and The Powow River Anthology, ed. by Alfred Nicol. There are many more choices, if you want to browse in the 800’s (American poetry: 811), one of my favorite sections of the library. Or you can search the Evergreen online catalog.

Tuesday, April 17, at 7 p.m., Nancy Bailey Miller will read from her new collection of poems, Hold On. And for those who write poetry, or want to try their hand at it, Nancy will lead a poetry writing workshop, Thursday, April 19 at 2 p.m. Registration for the workshop is requested. Please call 978-664-4942 to register.

You may know Nancy, a long-time North Reading resident, from her collection of profiles of local residents, “Of Minitmen and Molly’s.” Nancy taught creative writing at Phillips Academy Andover Summer Session for 10 years. She is also a violinist, violist, and a teacher of Suzuki violin.

Her sonnet from Hold On asks us to take time away from technology, to listen and observe, excellent advice for National Poetry Month, or all year, for that matter.

Time to Reboot

We’ve lost the privacy of phone booths now:
the cell phone rings in restaurants and subway
stations. How I miss the closed glass door of pay
phones, dread interruptions as I vow
no flip phone talk in Subarus. A second
meddler at most tables where we dine
is omnipresent ear buds which incline
us each to isolate ourselves. Reckon
instead with mockingbirds on evening walks;
listen as the breeze disturbs the willow. Hear
green peepers trading news in swampy reeds.
Turn off technology to notice hawks.
Reboot your brain with silence–let it clear.
Study the complexity of weeds.

Massachusetts offers a wealth of opportunities for those interested in poetry. Consider attending the Massachusetts Poetry Festival, in Salem, April 21-22. Want to read more contemporary poems? Poetry Daily is a good place to start.

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