Library -- National Poetry Month

Established by the National Academy of American Poets in 1995, April has been set aside by writers, artist, librarians, educators, publishers, and literary organizations as a time to celebrate poetry and its place in American culture. On this web page, you will find a variety of resources and references to more information about poetry and National Poetry Month. Enjoy!

Here are a mixture of Ely Library's poetry collections and books about poetry:

Check out or National Poetry Month Pearltree. Mouse over the pearl you want to explore, and expand pearltrees by clicking on the + that appears.

Library of Congress Poetry and Literature
http://www.loc.gov/poetry/
Contains articles and information about poets and upcoming events. Also available are webcasts with poetry readings and discussions.

The Poetry Foundation
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/
Articles, poems, information about poets, and podcasts.

Poetry International Web
http://www.poetryinternational.org/piw_cms/cms/cms_module/index.php?obj_name=www
Featured poets, articles, and poet of the week.

Poetry Society of America
http://www.poetrysociety.org/psa/
The Poetry Society of America was founded for the purpose of creating a public forum for the advancement, enjoyment, and understanding of poetry. Their Web site has upcoming events, poetry and information about poets, and a blog with poetry news.

National Poetry Month: Celebrating World Poetry
http://edsitement.neh.gov/feature/national-poetry-month-celebrating-world-poetry
Maintained by the National Endowment for the Humanities, this page contains information about different kinds of poetry along with ideas for lesson plans.

National Writing Project: Poetry Month
http://www.nwp.org/cs/public/print/resource/2832
"The National Writing Project offers an impressive array of resources to help teachers and students celebrate National Poetry Month, an annual 30-day event that celebrates and promotes the achievement of American poets."

Read, Write, Think: April is Poetry Month
http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/calendar-activities/april-national-poetry-month-20478.html
Resources, links, and tools to help children and young adults connect with poetry.

Scholastic: April is National Poetry Month
http://teacher.scholastic.com/poetry/index.htm
Videos, lessons, and activities to get children involved with poetry.

Primary Texts

Bartleby
http://www.bartleby.com
"The preeminent Internet publisher of literature, reference and verse, providing students, researchers and the intellectually curious with unlimited access to books and information on the web free of charge."

Project Gutenberg
http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page
Project Gutenberg offers over 38, 000 free ebooks in various formats, including poetry collections, for free.

Anthology of Middle English Literature (1350-1485)
http://www.luminarium.org/medlit/
Full text versions of important Middle English works of poetry, including Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.

Massachusetts and Poetry

Poets.org: Massachusetts
http://www.poets.org/state.php/varState/MA
A comprehensive page dedicated to Massachusetts poets, bookstores, and poetic landmarks, including Emily Dickinson's home in Amherst. This page also contains links to readings, events and conferences in the area.

Mass Poetry
http://http://masspoetry.org/
"The purpose of MassPoetry.org is to create resources to aid and support the Massachusetts poetry community, to reconnect poetry to more mainstream culture, to create new audiences for poetry and to organize the poetry community throughout the state."

Writing about Poetry

Purdue Owl: Writing About Poetry
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/615/01/
A page dedicated to understanding and writing about poetry, maintained by Purdue Owl Writing Lab.

Critical Reading: A Guide for Literary Analysis
http://brocku.ca/english/jlye/criticalreading.php
A guide by Dr. John Lye of Brock University. Helpful for anyone trying to gain a better understanding of literature and poetry.

Hamilton College Writing Center: Poetry
http://www.hamilton.edu/writing/writing-resources/poetry
A concise and helpful page for those writing poetry papers.

National Poetry Month	Primary Texts
General Sites about Poetry	Massachusetts and Poetry
Poetry Month Resources for Educators	Writing About Poetry