April 2022 marks the 26th anniversary of National Poetry Month! Established in 1996 by the Academy of American Poets, this month-long celebration of poetry and poets is one of the world’s largest literary celebrations. Check out their website for more ideas on how to celebrate National Poetry Month.
We hope you will join us as the Ohio Center for the Book at Cleveland Public Library celebrates National Poetry Month 2022!
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Virtual Events
April 2 | Virtual Poetry Reading with Kari Gunter-Seymour
A virtual poetry reading with Ohio’s poet laureate, Saturday, April 2, 2022, 1:00 – 2:00 PM. A Q&A session will follow. Click the link to this Zoom event
Kari Gunter-Seymour was born in Warren and raised in Athens County, Ohio. Named Ohio Poet of the Year 2020, she is the author of A Place So Deep Inside America It Can’t Be Seen: Poems (Sheila-Na-Gig Editions), long-listed for the 2020 Julie Suk Award; and Serving (Crisis Chronicles Press), runner-up Yellow Chair Review Chapbook Contest. Her work was selected by former U. S. Poet Laureate Natasha Trethewey to be included in the PBS American Portrait crowdsourced poem, Remix: For My People. A ninth generation Appalachian, Gunter-Seymour is executive director and founder of the non-profit Women of Appalachia ProjectTM. Her anthology I Thought I Heard A Cardinal Sing, Ohio’s Appalachian Voices is forthcoming in March 2022.
April 16 | Virtual Book Discussion: Playlist for the Apocalypse: Poems by Rita Dove
A virtual book discussion on Saturday, April 16, 2022, 3:30 – 5:00 PM. Attendees will read and discuss poems from Playlist for the Apocalypse: Poems by Rita Dove. | Click the link to this Zoom event
Rita Dove. Akron, Ohio, native Rita Dove is the first African-American woman appointed U.S. poet laureate. She served two terms from 1993-1995, and was appointed as a Special Bicentennial Consultant in 1999. Dove was awarded the 1987 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for Thomas and Beulah, a novel in verse. Published by W.W. Norton in 2021, Playlist for the Apocalypse: Poems is her latest poetry collection. (Please note: Rita Dove will not be attendance at this event.)
Additional Resources for Discussion
- Rita Dove: Playlist for the Apocalypse presentation at 92Y (Jan. 14, 2002; video)
- Rita Dove: “Playlist for the Apocalypse”: KCRW Bookworm podcast episode (Scroll down page to October 14, 2021; audio)
- Rita Dove’s plea for unity in ‘Playlist for the Apocalypse’ on PBS NewsHour (Sept. 15, 2021; video)
- Rita Dove: Playlist for the Apocalypse discussion with Politics & Prose (Aug. 11, 2021; video)
In-Person Event
April 23 | Blackout Poetry Workshop with Michael Nyers
Cleveland Public Library, Main Library, 325 Superior Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio – 2nd Floor – Literature Department | Saturday, April 23, 2022 | 3:30 – 5:00PM
What is blackout poetry? Blackout poetry, also referred to as erasure poetry, or found poetry, is simply the act of removing or “blacking out” existing text from a “found” document (e.g., print newspaper), to create a new message. The non-redacted text reveals a poem.
Michael Nyers of Fade into a Blackout Poetry will lead this poetry craft workshop for participants of all ages. NOTE: This is an in-person event; all attendees must adhere to the Library’s mask/social distancing policy.
From Youngstown, Ohio, Michael Nyers is a poet, mixed media artist, mental health advocate, and all around funny guy. The author of Finding Light in the Darkness: A Collection of Blackout Poetry (Dawn Valley Press 2018), perceives blackout poetry as a glimpse into the subconscious mind that can promote mindfulness and creativity, benefiting overall well-being and mental health.
These events are free and open to the public. For more information, call the Ohio Center for the Book at Cleveland Public Library at 216-623-2881. Be sure to visit/like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter @cplocfb.