April is poetry month–here’s a few for today

Posted By: David Fortier April 1, 2024

April is Poetry Month, so TBE is including links to poems for those who might be inclined to start their day with an adventure of sorts or who are simply curious. There will be links to classics as well as to some sources that are new. Some will hit home, others will miss.

For an introduction to poetry, there’s no one better than Billy Collins and the site he started back when he was U.S. poet laureate, Poetry 180. The premise behind Poetry 180 is to provide teachers with 180 poems for each day of the school year. No reason why the rest of us shouldn’t take advantage, is there.

The list of 180 poems begins with Collins’ own “Introduction to Poetry.” Click here.

Claude McKay was an African-American poet, born in Jamaica in 1889, who became a key figure in the Harlem Renaissance. His poem, “After the Winter,” can be found on the Poetry Foundation website. Click here.

For those with a few minutes, the Poetry Unbound website hosted by Pádraig Ó Tuama, an Irish poet. He provides commentary along with each poem. Today’s selection is Suji Kwock Kim’s “Search Engine: Notes from the North Korean-Chinese-Russian Border.”

After getting to the page, there is an audio link or scroll down and hit the “More” button for the transcript along with the printed poem. Click here.

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