| Photo by Ksenia Makagonova on Unsplash |
April is National Poetry Month in the U.S., and almost every year I write a blog post to promote it. Why? Because since my teens, reading poetry has brought both happiness and solace—a simple pleasure I like to share here on Catching Happiness.
And also I need the reminder to include more poetry in my reading life. I usually read one or two books of poetry each year, and I still subscribe to a weekly email from American Life in Poetry (see link below), but National Poetry Month reminds me to read more.
For the poetry curious
If you’re curious about poetry, or would like to get back to reading it, here are a few easy ways to get started:
Sign up for Poem-a-Day here.
If a poem a day is too much, subscribe to American Life in Poetry’s once-a-week poem newsletter.
Listen to the Poetry Foundation’s Poetry Off the Shelf podcast.
Enjoy some Spring Poems—classic and contemporary poems to celebrate the advent of spring.
Author and blogger Modern Mrs. Darcy (Anne Bogel) has written several posts on poetry, including this one. You might also enjoy hearing her discussion of poetry with her friend and poet Dave Harrity on Episode 75 of What Should I Read Next?
Check my post “It’s National Poetry Month—No Foolin’” for links to apps and other poetry resources.
And for anyone whose interest in the art and culture of Ukraine has been piqued, here are two poets whose work I’ve recently come across: Ilya Kaminsky (“That Map of Bone and Opened Valves”) and Serhiy Zhadan (read two of his poems here).
If you’re a poetry lover, what are your favorite ways to experience poetry?
