Poetry I

Poetry makes you smarter. Brain imaging studies show that people reading Shakespeare, Wordsworth, and T.S. Eliot display much more cerebral activity than those reading prose; and all kinds of research indicates that rhyme, rhythm, and imagery boost memory formation and recall.

Not that anyone needs an excuse to read poetry. But it’s nice to know that it’s also good for us.

See below for poetry celebrations, poetry collections, not-just-ordinary poetry, and poems to learn by heart.

POEM OF THE WEEK/POEM OF THE DAY

	Sylvia Vardell’s The Poetry Friday Anthology (Pomelo Books, 2012), subtitled “Poems for the School Year with Connections to the Common Core,” lists 36 poems each for grades K-5 – a poem for each week of the school year – with teaching strategies and curriculum connections for each selection. For older kids, see The Poetry Friday Anthology for Middle School (Pomelo Books, 2013), which lists weekly poems for grades 6-8.
	Thank Goodness It’s (Poetry) Friday is an essay by Susan Thomsen about the origin and practice of the Poetry Friday tradition, a “literary happy hour” in which children’s book lovers and bloggers get together (online) every Friday for a celebration of poetry. Included is a list of regular participants.
	Kidlitosphere has many suggestions, resources, and projects for poets. (Try a progressive poem.)
	Check out 30 Ways to Celebrate National Poetry Month. (April!)
	April is NaPoWriMo – that is, National Poetry Writing Month. Write 30 poems in 30 days (with help from a daily writing prompt).
	Poetry Minute has a children’s poem a day for every day of the school year.
	From the Library of Congress, Poetry 180 has a poem for each day of the school year for high-school-level students. A terrific collection; highly recommended.
	Poetry Daily is an online anthology of contemporary poetry, featuring a new poem and poet each day.
	Garrison Keillor’s Good Poems (Penguin Books, 2003) is an anthology of the daily poems from NPR’s popular Writer’s Almanac.
	The Favorite Poem Project, founded by Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky in 1997, collected favorite poems from Americans of all ages from all across the United States. See the website for anthologies, a video library of participants reading their chosen poems, suggestions for hosting your own community Favorite Poem reading event, and more.
	The Poetry Archive is an enormous collection of digital recordings of English-language poets reading their own work.

A POEM IN YOUR POCKET

Poem in Your Pocket Day is celebrated as part of National Poetry Month in April. Carry a favorite in your pocket and share with others!

	Poem in Your Pocket has a history of Poem-in-Your-Pocket Day and suggestions for celebrating.
	From the Academy of American Poets, Celebrate Poem in Your Pocket Day has a collection of printable pocket poems.
	Bobbi Katz’s Pocket Poems (Puffin, 2013) is a charmingly illustrated collection of 50 short appealing poems by a wide range of authors, just right for tucking in a pocket. For ages 4-7.
	From the Academy of American Poets, Poem in Your Pocket (Abrams Image, 2009) is a collection of 200 poems just for pockets: choose a favorite and tear it out of the book. (You’re supposed to – the pages are perforated – though for some of us, it’s still a wrench.)
	In the same format, see Poem in Your Pocket for Young Poets (Amulet Books, 2011) for ages 10 (or so) and up.