Library Lines: Take time to appreciate National Poetry Month

April is Poetry Month! This year is the 26th annual celebration of National Poetry Month in the U.S., recognizing the importance of poetry in our history and culture. The Library of Congress has had a poetry consultant since 1937, known as the poet laureate since 1985. A new national Poet Laureate is chosen by the librarian of Congress every year.

The current poet laureate is Ada Limon, from Kentucky. An original poem by Ada Limon is being engraved on the side of NASA’s Clipper mission spacecraft this year. The spacecraft (and the poem) will be launched toward Jupiter’s moon Europa in October 2024. Patrons of the library can borrow one of Ada Limon’s six poetry collections, as well as poetry anthologies including her work, through our digital library, and physical copies are available by request through our consortium partners and the Michigan eLibrary.

The Library of Congress named several books of poetry influential to the history of the country in 2012: Walt Whitman’s “Leaves of Grass” (1855); Emily Dickinson’s “Poems” (1890); William Carlos Williams’ “Spring and All” (1923); Robert Frost’s “New Hampshire” (1923); Langston Hughes’ “The Weary Blues” (1925); Gwendolyn Brooks’ “A Street in Bronzeville” (1945); and Allen Ginsberg’s “Howl and Other Poems” (1956). Poetry has often been written for and read at presidential inaugurations.

Interested in reading poetry? The Cheboygan Area Public Library has a rich collection of poetry for our patrons to enjoy. You can find books of poetry throughout the library: in the children’s collection, the young adult room, the general collection, and even in audiobooks on CD. There’s currently poetry on the new bookshelves just inside the entrance doors to the main library. Of course, the text of many of the picture books in the kids’ room could also be considered poetry.

Patrons can also request books of poetry through the partner libraries in our PAC2 consortium or via the Michigan eLibrary. You might even consider academic guides to writing poetry or scholarly volumes on how poetry works. The request process is easy: just search the online library catalog for titles you’d like to try. When you find something, you’d like to request, click the “place on hold” button. Or choose the “search MeLCat” link for more options.

Do you have a special passion for poetry? Attend a gathering of the community Poetry Club, which meets here at the library the last Thursday of the month at 3 p.m. This club includes local poetry lovers and writers. They encourage interested folks to attend a meeting. When you do, bring poems to share, either ones you’ve written or just ones you love. You will usually find the club meeting in the Linda Widrig Neuss room (the big room) in our lower-level Center for Community Programs.

If you have questions about the poetry club or any of the other community groups that regularly meet at the library, just ask our new program director! The Program Director helps facilitate the ways the library serves as a community connection. Guest speakers? Meeting spaces? Community classes? The program director coordinates and creates these opportunities and more.

We'd like to invite you to welcome our new Program Director, Paula Jewell. Paula is not new to the library, though: She's held a variety of roles here over the past 27 years, including running the original summer Craft Camp for kids! Paula will be working closely with our Children's Librarian, staff experts, Friends of the Library, and various community groups and other entities who regularly meet here in the library. Have ideas for guest speakers or special programs? Paula is the person who can investigate making them a reality. We’re so happy to say “Welcome, Paula!”

— Sarah Olsen is a staff member of the Cheboygan Area Public Library.

This article originally appeared on Cheboygan Daily Tribune: Library Lines: Take time to appreciate National Poetry Month