Poetry can be celebrated the year-round, but especially so in April. Established in April 1996, National Poetry Month brings together poets and booksellers, literary organizations and publishers to celebrate the importance of poetry and its vital place in American culture. We at the Canton Public Library would like to participate by showcasing our many poetry resources in this Special Collection.

Award Winners

The wild iris by Louise Gluck — 1993 — Gluck's sixth collection presents a series of spare, somber lyrics that has always invested his best work.

Neon vernacular: new and selected poems by Yusef Komunyakaa — 1994 — A collection of poems from the author's earlier books combined with a dozen new poems.

Are you a creative kid? This program is tailored to kids who are 7 to 10 years old. Let your creative side flow in our new monthly program, Creatapillars. This exciting program will alternate between art themed and writing themed activities each month. This month we will be having fun creating our own poetry. We will meet on Monday, November 5, 2012 from 7:00 PM to 7:45 PM.  Registration will begin October 22, 2012. See you there!

[Caterpillar by Rickydavid is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0]

This fun program will be for kids that love poems and kids who don't. We will look at "giggle poetry" for kids online, answer some riddles and vote on our favorite silly poems, while enjoying popcorn. This program is for kids third through fifth grade. Register online beginning March 26.
When: Tuesday, April 24, 7:00-7:45 PM
[Popcorn! by Andrew Rivett is licensed under CC BY 2.0]

April is National Poetry Month, if you haven’t already, maybe it’s time your group considered reading and discussing poetry. Choose a poet and let members select 2 or 3 poems from the poet’s collected worksto read. Members can discuss their reactions to the poems or maybe to poetry as a whole.

The complete poems by Walt Whitman ; edited with an introduction and notes by Francis Murphy

How to read a poem: and fall in love with poetry by Edward Hirsch

There was a man who loved a rat and other vile little poems by written by Gerda Rovetch ; illustrated by Lissa Rovetch — is full of colorful, short poems will make you laugh and declare how gross they are all at the same time! My favorites are the man who kept sardines in his pants, the man who baked bread with a snake, and the man who found a kidney. Which ones did you enjoy?

Birds of a feather by Jane Yolen — Striking photographs are what caught my eye right away on Jane Yolen's new book. This book has 14 spirited poems about familiar, as well as less common birds in the Eastern U.S. Each poem is matched with a photograph of the bird with realistic colors and sharp details. Yolen has written over 300 books for children and won many medals for her work.

Edgar Allan's official crime investigation notebook by Mary Amato — There's a thief at Wordsworth Elementary School and Edgar is determined to find out who it is! But this thief doesn't just stop with the classroom goldfish. Soon other classroom items disappear, and the culprit is leaving poems behind for clues. A fun mystery that will surprise readers at how much fun poetry can be.

A dazzling display of dogs : concrete poems by Betsy Franco ; illustrations by Michael Wertz — Do you love dogs? How about poetry? This book combines both of those fun items. With fun colorful illustrations, you can have fun reading her concrete poems aloud or to yourself. Some of the poem titles include Found at the Pound, Pug Appeal, Emmett's Ode to His Tennis Ball, and The Tail End. Happy reading!

The Poetry Foundation has chosen their newest Poet Laureate, J. Patrick Lewis! The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) has written a lovely post about Mr. Lewis on their blog. Also, we have a wonderful selection of poetry books by Mr. Lewis in our collection that you should check out and enjoy!

What do these three topics have in common? Well, they are all covered in the poetry section in the children's department. We have poems on all different kinds of subjects from baseball to ice cream to best friends. Not only do our poetry books cover all kinds of topics, but there are many that are very funny to read. When you feel like a few giggles check out Exploding Gravy or Oh, No! Where are my Pants? You'll find these books in the J800 section in the Children's Department, or a librarian can direct you right to the poetry books. They're also easy to find this month on our octagon book display. So check out our awesome poetry section where the reading is easy, and fun.

Reading to a friendly dog has become a popular program here at CPL. But you don't have to save your dog reading for that program alone. I bet your own dog would love for you to read to them, especially a book about dogs. The kids department has lots of fiction and non-fiction books on dogs. To keep it short and simple, check out some fun poems in It's About Dogs, Little Dogs Poems, or I Didn't Do it, which offers a irresistible glimpse into your puppy's mind.

National Book Foundation has been honoring great American books for the past 60 years. In the current eNewsletter from February through April of 2011, the Foundation will host a retrospective examining more than sixty years of American poetry. The retrospective will include a daily blog featuring essays by emerging poets on all past Winners of the National Book Award for Poetry, as well as a series of public programs in three U.S. cities.

Well, we may have gotten buckets of snow dumped on us but that doesn't mean our creative juices have to be frozen up too. Instead, let your creativity thaw out and have fun creating snow poems, cut out and decorate snowflakes, or build a snowman (or a snowcat) in your front yard. The possiblities are endless. Have fun!

Lord of misrule: a novel by Jaimy Gordon

Just kids: from Brooklyn to the Chelsea Hotel : a life of art and friendship by Patti Smith

Lighthead by Terrance Hayes

Mockingbird: (mok'ing-bûrd) by Kathryn Erskine

Hey Ghouls and Ghoulettes! Halloween is just around the corner and just for giggles — a couple of titles that will give you goosebumps and bring you into the holiday spirit! The first titles is Frankenstien makes a Sandwich by Adam Rex and the second one is The Nightmare before Christmas by Tim Burton. Frankenstein will make you giggle as he introduces you to all his spooky friends, then travel to Halloween Town as our friend, Jack Skellington, tries to take over Christmas. Happy Haunting!

Check it out — if you like dogs and you like poetry, our new book Name that dog!: puppy poems from A to Z by Peggy Archer is the book for you! Full of fun poems about your favorite doggies and adorable illustrations, this book will keep you smiling about dogs all day long. Enjoy!

Friday, September 24th is National Punctuation Day "a celebration of the lowly comma, correctly used quotation marks, and other proper uses of periods, semicolons, and the ever-mysterious ellipses". In honor of this momentous occasion, the sponsors of National Punctuation Day are hosting a Punctuation Haiku Contest. Rules and examples are posted on their web site. Need some inspiration? The Children's Department has lots of resources on punctuation. My favorite are those written by Lynne Truss, author of Eats, Shoots and Leaves for adults. Here's one haiku to get you started…

Boring Period,
In almost every sentence
Just can't get respect.

If you want to read some of Nancy Pearl's April book picks, we have a couple here at the library:

The anthologist by Nicholson Baker

Collected poems by Donald Justice

Do you love poetry? Do you wish you knew more about the poets who wrote the verses that wiggle into your brain never to leave again? Have no fear! The answer is out there. The Academy of American Poets has all the biographical information you could want on poets from all over the world. You can search by poet, poem, first lines, last names, and more. They even have a link for checking out poetry near you. Click here and enjoy!