Life's Song Set to Poetry
The Worth of a Talented American Poet’s Compelling Pen
The celebration encourages literacy and the appreciation for the written word and personal expression. Throughout the United States events are held at schools, community centers and arts venues. It is anticipated that more than 200,000 schools participate in a National Poetry Month event.
Talented American Poets and National Events
The United States has a wealth of poets who have mastered their craft and consistently created compelling content. A few of those talented American poets include Phyllis Wheatley, Langston Hughes, Anne Bradstreet, May Swenson, William Blake, Maya Angelou, Paul Laurence Dunbar, James Weldon Johnson, Robert Frost, Walt Whitman and Gwendolyn Brooks. Each of these poets has written poems that capture the essence of historic times and experiences in America’s past.
To promote self expression, the San Antonio, Texas’s Office of Cultural Affairs is holding a Teen Poetry Slam and two international poetry festivals. The Cultural Affairs office is also hosting book signings with writers such as Tom Keene,
Claire Kageyama-Ramakrishnan and Josie Mixon.
The Lincoln Center kicked off the month long celebration by having Steve Reich, Joan Baez and Mia Farrow read from their work. Musicians, including Wynton Marsalis and Zadie Smith, assisted with the celebration. Many local and national events are free for the public to attend and enjoy.
Chicago, Illinois’ Poet Laureate Gwendolyn Brooks
Poets like Gwendolyn Brooks, Chicago’s poet laureate who was born in Topeka, Kansas and raised in the Windy City where her talent as a writer blossomed are heralded during the month and throughout the year. Gwendolyn Brooks attended Chicago’s Hyde Park High School. Her mother was a school teacher; her father was a janitor. It can be assumed that Gwendolyn’s mother played a role in her appreciation for poetry.
By the time Brooks was 13 years old she had published her first work. Her earliest writings were often printed in the Chicago Defender, a local cultural newspaper. Her first book, A Street in Bronzeville, was published in 1945. The book was well received and introduced Gwendolyn to a broader audience. The writer continued to create both poetry and novels until December 2000 when she was 83 years old. It was then that Brooks returned to the ancestors.
One of America’s Most Beloved Poets
Walt Whitman was born in West Hills, New York on May 31, 1819. He is one of America’s first nationally known poets. Whitman attended school in Brooklyn, New York until he was ten years old. After that he took his lessons at home, a thing that was more common years ago than it is today. He began his work as a paid writer in 1831 when he started to write for the Patriot newspaper. Based out of Long Island, the newspaper helped Whitman to polish his researching, writing and editing skills.
Whitman’s works include "After The Argument", "Asia", "By Day The Distant", "To The Year 1889" and "What Means It". In addition to creating poetry, Walt Whitman also wrote fiction such as short stories and magazine articles. The author passed on March 26, 1892. He spent his latter years living in Camden, New Jersey. Today the Walt Whitman Bridge serves as a link connecting Philadelphia, The City of Brotherly Love, to Camden.
Each of these and many other American writers put to words emotions and thoughts people deal with during challenging and rewarding times. Their voices help to trace the country’s rich history, filling it with song and pomp. During the month of April citizens are encouraged to learn more about poets and the works that they created.
National Poetry Month
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