Friends of Montclair Library

The library is closed today, but you can still get a jump on celebrating April’s National Poetry Month! From nursery rhymes to the classics to commercial ditties, poetry is all around us, but sometimes we forget to appreciate it.

See the Academy of American Poets’ website for 30 Ways to Celebrate. There’s even an iPhone app that will deliver a daily poem right to your phone.

If you prefer the low-tech approach, try memorizing a poem to “carry buzzing around in your head,” as local poet and former U.S. Poet Laureate Robert Hass once said. Stuck for ideas? Try the sing-songy, playful poetry of e.e. cummings, the all-ages appeal of Robert Frost, something silly for kids by Jack Prelutsky or something pensive for grown-ups like Adrienne Rich, all available at the Montclair branch. Or just browse the 811 sections for kids or grown-ups, and see what strikes your fancy.

Search for California poetry events, poets and poems here.