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“To be or not to be, that is the question.” But is it? I have way bigger issues than that, but I won’t bore you with my mishegas. Really, the most important matter of the moment is that April is National Poetry Month. Any impetus for festivities works for me. Hence, let’s get on with it. According to the Academy of American Poets, this holiday has six goals:
- Highlight the extraordinary legacy and ongoing achievement of American poets.
- Encourage the reading of poems.
- Assist teachers in bringing poetry into their classrooms.
- Increase the attention paid to poetry by national and local media.
- Encourage increased publication and distribution of poetry books.
- Encourage support for poets and poetry.
This is all well and good, but there are some serious oversights here. First, what about international poets? Second, it’s all a bit literal for me (no pun intended—really). There are so many amazing visual artists whose work is informed by poetry; I see no representation in the above mission. Thankfully, I have resolved this blunder for everyone this week. Read on to help celebrate fabulous text artists, haiku artists, poetry-inspired fashion, word artists, and the “Poet of Light.”
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