I met Boulder resident
Cynthia Morris at a Denver Woman's Press Club event about a year ago. I signed up for her weekly Creative Impulse newsletters and have been receiving them ever since.
April is National Poetry Month, and being known for my appreciation of poetry, I thought it appropriate that I post some of her Poetry Monthnewsletter in my blog. I want other people to realize poetry isn't just for the ultra-visionaries and the hyper-academic, a message I've never sucessfully articulated in my blog.
I especially love Cynthia'sproposal of leaving poetry on other people's answering machines. This would be a lot of fun to do each month with my mom ...
Cynthia told meher "favorite poet, if I have to choose one, is
Mary Oliver. I use her poem
Wild Geese, for my clients." Her clients are writers and artists (how great is that?).
Here's an extensive excerpt from her April 3 newsletter:
This year marks the tenth annual National Poetry Month. Let's honor the art of poetry and the work of the many poets who have labored with words to express what we cannot. Poetry has something real and powerful to offer us: the opportunity to slow down, to look around, and to take the bigger picture from a small detail. We can lift the art of poetry from the classrooms, liberate it from singularity, and expand the notion of what it is and can do. Poetry is not only about flowers and pretty feelings, but also about the reality of an experience at a particular time and place.
Some ways to experience poetry this month and beyond:
Read a poem.A well-written poem evoking compassion, rage, humor or other emotions can inspire your own writing.
Write a poem. Who says you can't write a great poem yourself? Don't worry if you haven't formally studied poetry. Take the time to play around with words until your thoughts crystallize. Capture the wild movements of your mind.
Leave a poem on your answering machine for others. Enliven the traditional 'You have reached...". Or, call a friend and instead of a message, leave a poem on their machine.
E-mail a poem to someone. Send a postcard with a poem.
Hang a poem up at work in the break room, at your desk, wherever others might enjoy it. Choose a humorous poem to lift the spirits of your co-workers.
Celebrate tax day with a poem. Read a poem or write one that expresses your feelings about the IRS, the government, and taxation.
Go to a poetry reading. Check out your local cafes, bookstores, or colleges for listings of poetry readings. There may be special offerings during April.
Buy some poetry.Support your local bookstore and prove that people are still interested in reading poetry. Bookstores will often have sales on poetry during April.
Listen to poetry.The Language of Life,
The United States of Poetry, and
A Century of Recorded Poetry are all excellent anthologies of poetry that you can listen to at home, in the car, wherever.Or, download poetry podcasts.
A good way to explore poetry is to
pick up an anthology, a compilation of poems by various authors.
In an anthology you will discover what style and poets you like, then you can pick up books by those poets. Some guidelines: Do you want to read poets of a specific era (contemporary, 20th century, the Victorian poets), a specific region (American, world, a specific country such as France), poems in certain forms, haiku, etc. I've listed some of my favorite anthologies in the resources below.
Poetry has a stuffy reputation that many of us are working to displace. Poetry is not just for the elite, the educated, and the articulate.
People from all walks of life, all races, and each gender write, publish and read their poetry every day. Celebrate poetry today by engaging in the activities I've recommended or creating your own.
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To learn more about Cynthia Morris, visit her Web site at OriginalImpulse.com.