Blog

i must be honest here:

even in the best of times

i don’t really

Understand Poetry

much less Write it

sure, poetry flowed from

Shakespeare and Keats

in times of outbreak

but

that is who i am not.

instead, i’m noticing

the poetry of

bone-dry pinecones waiting patiently, hopefully -

     the poetry of 

newborn snow on an elder branch...

the warm-sticky-aliveness of my child’s hand in mine.

most of all: stop-in-time moments of reckless laughter.

i've always thought that Poetry

is for Thinkers of a certain caliber,

definitely not for me.

but it turns out that Jacqueline* is right...

“...poetry is a party everyone is invited to.”

want to come?

You're all invited to participate in our Family Poetry Jam (in your jammies!), in honor of National Poetry Month.

Prolific author and former young people's poet laureate Jacqueline Woodson* encourages all of us:

“I would love for everyone to believe that they have a poem to write, say, sing, rap, dance—and then execute that poem.” 

Please, use your voice - and then share your work with us!

We'll be poetry-pajamming right along with you!

Type up or take photos of your poetry creations and email them to us at YouthServicesDesk@dppl.org

*These quotes are from Jacqueline Woodson's interview with the Stacey Lynn Brown of the Poetry Foundation; read the full interview here.

Want some laugh-out-loud poems?

Try

I'm Just No Good at Rhyming! 

by Chris Harris and Lane Smith

Now available as an e-book and accessible on our Libby app!

Have you logged on to Hoopla Digital using your library card yet?

You'll find a ton of e-books and music there - including hundreds of poetry options for kids! Just type "poetry" in the search bar.

While you're there, it's a perfect time for your whole family to be inspired by the

Dictionary for a Better World

by Irene Latham and Charles Waters, illustrated by Mehrdokht Amini

and available on Hoopla!

Jacqueline Woodson's beautiful autobiography

Brown Girl Dreaming

is written in verse.

If you haven't yet tried a book in verse, this is a great one to start with.

Are there any Hamilton fans in the house?

While they may never be satisfied by anything but the live performance, why don't you give this title a shot? The e-audiobook version of the ultimate poetry in song

Hamilton, the Revolution

by Lin-Manuel Miranda

Combine National Poetry Month with Earth Day in this amazing title, by the current Young People's Poet Laureate Naomi Shihab Nye!

Cast Away

Of course, there's always Shel Silverstein's classic

Where the Sidewalk Ends

and

A Light in the Attic

Both available on Libby as e-books!