April Celebrations

Yes, this is a poem

Hard to believe that what you see above is a poem. Read the book titles from top to bottom, considering each title a line of a free verse poem. I saw this on facebook and was intrigued enough to delve a little deeper.

Not only is this National Poetry Month but we also celebrate National Library Week this month. Susan Gaylord wrote about this unusal form for a poem on her blog.  She seemed as intrigued as I am about it. She also writes about a contest 

If you are interested in trying to create a book spine poem yourself, read how to do it and how to enter a contest here. Caroline Kennedy is the Honorary Chairperson of National Library Week. You may  remember that I wrote a post earlier this month about her latest book Poems To Learn By Heart. Even if you opt not to enter the contest, it might be fun to do this with books at your library or from your own bookshelf at home. Teachers could create a project that is fun, creative and thoughtful with their classes.

For those who love reading, poetry and prose, April gives us cause to pause and celebrate both poetry and our amazing libraries. If it's been awhile since you've visited your public library, put it on your list of things to do soon. 

The Manhattan Public Library that I use on a regular basis