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Five Book Friday!

And a happy winter to all of you, dear readers!  In honor of this past week’s Solstice, and in looking forward to the holidays coming up this weekend and next week, it seemed like a good moment to share a bit of good cheer and high hopes for the future, before we get to the books, which always bring good cheer!  So here is a bit of verse, from us to you:

The Shortest Day
by Susan Cooper

So the shortest day came, and the year died,
And everywhere down the centuries of the snow-white world
Came people singing, dancing,
To drive the dark away.
They lighted candles in the winter trees;
They hung their homes with evergreen;
They burned beseeching fires all night long
To keep the year alive,
And when the new year’s sunshine blazed awake
They shouted, reveling.
Through all the frosty ages you can hear them
Echoing behind us – Listen!!
All the long echoes sing the same delight,
This shortest day,
As promise wakens in the sleeping land:
They carol, fest, give thanks,
And dearly love their friends,
And hope for peace.
And so do we, here, now,
This year and every year.
Welcome Yule!!

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3810822History of Wolves: Emily Fridlund’s debut novel has been getting attention for a while, and her first chapter won the McGinnis-Ritchie award, giving it a seal of excellence from quite early on in its creation.  Set in the woods of northern Minnesota, the book follows fourteen-year-old Linda, whose family lives on a nearly-abandoned commune, isolating them from the world around them.  Linda suffers most, especially when the arrest of one of the teachers at her school cuts off the few connections she has forged, until a young family moves in across the lake, Linda begins to babysit for their young son Paul, and soon finds a sense of belonging.  But with belonging comes access to secrets that Linda never imagined, and over the course of a few days, she will make choices that will have lifelong consequences.  This is not an clear-cut read, but Fridlund is so skilled at crafting the damaged, lonely Linda, that readers will find themselves falling into the complexities of this story.  Publisher’s Weekly agrees, giving this book a starred review and praising is as “An atmospheric, near-gothic coming-of-age novel turns on the dance between predator and prey . . . Fridlund is an assured writer . . . The novel has a tinge of fairy tale, wavering on the blur between good and evil, thought and action. But the sharp consequences for its characters make it singe and sing—a literary tour de force.”

3795960Difficult Women: From Roxane Gay, author of the sensational Bad Feminist (among other sensational and thought-provoking works), comes a collection of fictional stories about women from all walks of life, whose tales form a mosaic of works that describe the reality of America in the present day, from a pair of sisters, abducted as children and inseparable throughout life, learning to cope with the elder sister’s marriage, to a Black engineer moving to Michigan for work and trying to leave her past behind, from a college student who works as a stripper to pay her tuition to a girls’ fight club in a wealthy Florida suburb, each of these stories is a wry, funny, and deeply emotional example of Gay’s talent for prose, as well as her piercingly insightful views on race, gender, class, and identity.  These stories will definitely challenge, but they will also help you grow, and that is some of the best work that fiction can do.  Kirkus Review agrees, saying, “Unified in theme―the struggles of women claiming independence for themselves―but wide-ranging in conception and form . . . Gay is an admirable risk-taker in her exploration of women’s lives and new ways to tell their stories.”

3827020Instructions Within: Ashraf Faydah’s book of poetry was first published in Beirut in 2008, and was subsequently banned from distribution in Saudi Arabia, and Faydah himself is currently in prison in Saudi Arabia for apostasy (the renunciation of religious beliefs), and for allegedly promoting atheism through his poetry.  All of this makes the US publication of his book that much more important, but Faydah’s poetry speaks for itself, taking its inspiration from historical texts, ancient artistic traditions, and modern pop culture to make powerful observations about the world around us, its horror as well as its beauty, and what we are willing to do about what we see happening in that world.  Art has always been a fierce and relenting voice against tyranny and injustice, and Fayadh’s work proves an strong reminder of that truth.  A note–this book is bound on the right, like Arabic texts, so be prepared not only to see the world through another’s eyes, but to read through another culture’s lens, as well.

3826857The Gentleman From Japan: Fans of John Le Carre’s novels should definitely check out Inspector O, the protagonist of James Church’s intriguing series.  In this sixth installment of the series, O is assigned to investigate a Spanish company that is allegedly producing parts for a nuclear weapon, disguised within a dumpling maker.  When it is discovered that this “dumpling maker” is ultimately destined for North Korea, O enters a world of government corruption and family ties that will bring him face to face with a Chinese gangster he’s worked for years to destroy.  A hard-boiled mystery full of gritty settings, murder, secrets, and lies, Churches’ books, which benefit enormously from his years in intelligence, are always densely-plotted, twisting, and engrossing, but critics everywhere are agreeing that this may be his best Inspector O novel yet, with elaborate deceptions, dastardly foes, and international intrigue aplenty.  The Chicago Tribune agrees, cheering “The deeper you get into The Gentleman From Japan, the more educated you become about the dark complexities of international relations, and the more indebted you are to Church for creating a series that stands out as winningly as this one.”

3839737Mad Genius Tips: I don’t know about you, but there has never been a holiday season where some part of the food preparation has gone chillingly, disastrously wrong.  A critical pan is missing…the proper ingredients weren’t purchased…I nearly cut the top of my finger off….ok, to be fair, Justin Chapple’s book can’t really save you from yourself, but it can offer you a whole ton of tips, tricks, and last-minute saves that will make you look like a suave culinary expert.  Each chapter deals with a different household cooking tool, like resealable baggies to knives, from plastic lids to cooling racks, and leaves it to Food & Wine‘s Mad Genius to tell you all the nifty things you can do and make with each item.  Packed with weird, wonderful tips, and a whole bunch of fascinating recipes, this is a book that will definitely make your holidays a little easier (and more fun!), but is sure to help any time of year, too!  Publisher’s Weekly is definitely a fan of Chapple, saying “Chapple, a senior editor at Food & Wine, brings his Web video series into print with a collection of 90 creative uses for everyday kitchen items, and 100 recipes in which to employ this hackery…. Some of his suggestions are handy indeed: he gets a lot of mileage out of a baking rack, for example, using it as a chopper for both boiled eggs and avocados.”

Until next week, beloved paons–happy reading!

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For the Love of Poetry

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We here at the Free For All are committed to helping all our readers overcome their metrophobia, and live a life full of poetry.  We want to make poetry more than an arduous few weeks in high school where you learned how to dissect a verse into its component meters and feet and rhymes, and, instead, help us all better appreciate the sheer beauty and power of poetry without fear of getting it ‘right’.

To that end, there are several programs coming up on the Library’s Super-Terrific Calendar of Events for poetry lovers and recovering metrophobes alike that we wanted to bring to your attention:

First is the 82 Main Poetry Series, a partnership between The Peabody Institute Library and Mass Poetry that will bring a series of monthly poetry readings in the library’s historic Sutton Room.  Our first reading will take place on September 19th at 7pm, and will feature Boston’s current poet laureate, Danielle Legros Georges, who will offer a reading followed by a Q&A session.

Danielle-Legros-Georges-credit-priscilla-harmel-201x300Danielle Legros Georges was born in Haiti and raised in the United States. She received a BA from Emerson College in Boston and an MA in English and creative writing from New York University. She is the author of two poetry collections—The Dear Remote Nearness of You (Barrow Street Press, 2016) and Maroon (Curbstone Books, 2001). She has received grants and fellowships from the Barbara Deming Fund, the Massachusetts Cultural Council, and the Black Metropolis Research Consortium. In 2014 Legros Georges was chosen as Boston’s second poet laureate. She is a professor at Lesley University and lives in Boston, Massachusetts.

Professor Georges’ visit will kick off a series of three further poetry readings and discussions, each of which are described in our calendar (or click here).  You can sign up for these events by calling the Library, or online, by clicking here.

3144950In October, we are thrilled to be welcoming back Professor Theo Theoharis to the Library for another of his wonderful literary discussions.  This time, his program, which begins on October 19th, at 7:30pm, is also based on poetry, specifically The Penguin Anthology of Twentieth Century American Poetry, edited by Rita Dove. The book is remarkable for being the first book of it’s kind to be compiled by an African-American woman poet. Together with the classic work by American white men–Frost, Williams, etc.–, the sessions will also focus on poems by black women–Rita Dove, Lucille Clifton, Audre Lord– and men–Robert Hayden, Langston Hughes, Sterling Brown–to show the range of experiences and voices that make up recent American poetry. The aim is to celebrate what Walt Whitman called ‘the various carols’ to be heard in American life.

For those of you who have had the pleasure of hearing Professor Theoharis’ talks at the Library before, you know that this is going to be a series to remember.  Those who need further convincing are welcome to call the Library for more information, but be prepared for my rhapsodical praise of these incredible programs.  You can sign up by calling the Library, or by clicking here.  Beginning Monday September 19th, books will be available at the Main Library on a first-come first-served basis. Meetings will be held on October 19th, October 26th, November 1st and November 9th at 7:30 p.m.

Poetry has, for too long, been treated like an inaccessible and/or ‘boring’ mode of expression, but the truth of the matter is that it is all around us–in the commercials we hum inadvertently to the songs in our earbuds to the films we see to the graffiti on walls to the words on our pages, and its high time we celebrated the loveliness and the humanity of this form of expression.  Come join us at the Library and learn just how fundamental, how inspiring, and how moving poetry can be–and how easy it is to love–at the Library this fall!

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The Guardian: http://bit.ly/2c8fSf2

The 82 Main Poetry Series is generously funded by the Friends of the Peabody Institute Libraries.

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Five Book Friday!

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So, since we’re winding down National Poetry Month, and the sun is finally (finally!) out this morning, I thought it would be nice to share a  favorite poem about spring (that doesn’t begin “April is the cruelest month”.  Even though it is.)

A quick confession: Growing up, I wasn’t a poetry person.  I don’t think I’m was a metrophobe…but I also didn’t inherently get poetry in the same way I got prose.  Until tenth grade, when I met Keats and Wordsworth.  And then, it was like someone flipped a switch in my little 16-year-old brain and something made sense.  For that reason, both poets are very near and dear to my heart.  Keat’s season was autumn, but Wordsworth taught me to love spring, even in its allergy-inducing haze.  So I thought we could bid adieu, on this lovely spring day, to National Poetry Month with a little Wordsworth, and his daffodils:

Daffodils

I wandered lonely as a Cloud
That floats on high o’er vales and Hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden Daffodils;
Beside the Lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:-
A Poet could not but be gay
In such a jocund company:
I gazed—and gazed—but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude,
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the Daffodils.

Published in Collected Poems, 1815

And now…on to the books!

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3733534Gold of Our Fathers: Fans of Alexander McCall Smith’s The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series will find a great deal to love in Kwei Quartey’s mysteries featuring Darko Dawson, the newly promoted Chief Inspector in the Ghana police service.  This is Dawson’s fourth outing, and while his new title carries some great perks, it also means that Dawson is being transferred from Accra, Ghana’s capital, to Obuasi in the Ashanti region, a place that has become notorious for its exploitative goldmines.  He finds the office there is utter shambles, but before he can begin setting things to rights, Dawson is called on to solve the murder of a Chinese mine owner who was unearthed from his own quarry.  The case brings Dawson face to face with the corruption that has devastated Obuasi, and the greed that keeps it running, in an adventure that is keeping readers and critics alike fascinated, including Publisher’s Weekly, who gave this book a starred review, and called it “Exceptional . . . Fans of mysteries that offer a window into another culture will be more than satisfied.”

3741713The People in the Castle: Selected Strange Stories: By the time of her death in 2004, Joan Aiken had written over 100 books, and was a deeply respected writer for Vogue, Good Housekeeping, and Vanity Fair, to name a few.  Now, some of her creepiest, most imaginative, previously unpublished tales have been collected into a single volume for you to explore.  These tales, on the surface, harken back to some classic tropes of the horror and gothic genres…bumps in the night, a whispered voice in the dark…but Aiken brought her own flare to everything she wrote, and these stories are all better for it.  There is also plenty of heart and humor here, as well, along with an introduction from Aiken’s daughter, Lizzie.  The California Literary Review wrote a glowing review of this book, saying “”Aiken’s pastoral meadows and circus chaos, gothic grotesques and quirky romances . . . have a dream-like quality executed with a brevity and wit that is a testament to her skill as a story-teller.”

3719213The Invisible Guardian: Dolores Redondo’s eerie mystery has already become a best-seller in Spain, and was nominated for a whole slew of literary awards (including being shortlisted for the 2015 Crime Writer’s Association Dagger Award), so it’s arrival on our shelves is quite exciting for mystery buffs.  At the heart of this psychological thriller is homicide inspector Amaia Salazar, who is called back to the hometown she has always hated in order to solve the murder of a teenaged girl.  Amaia’s past is a place full of secrets and nightmares, and being back in the place where it all began is more trying than she could have imagined…particularly as the community’s ancient pagan practices threaten to upend her investigation, and disrupt her very sanity, as she tries to determine whether the crime is really the work of a ritualistic killer, or the mythical Basajaun, the Invisible Guardian.  Library Journal loved this book, giving it a starred review and saying, ““The Basque backdrop gives this thriller an especially intriguing layer of depth; the superstitions and mythologies passed down from the days of Spanish Inquisition penetrate the mystery to such an extent that the reader is easily transported.”

3711275The Last Goodnight: a World War II Story of Espionage, Adventure, and Betrayal: Fans of Erik Larson should keep an eye on Harold Bloom’s work…like Larson, he loves telling historical narratives, and delights in digging up the stories you haven’t heard about some of the world’s most well known events.  This time, he focuses on Bettie Pack, whose real-life career with MI-6 and OSS was full of a kind of daring and danger that would make James Bond pale.  Though it seems few people can get past Pack’s good looks, Bloom does a very good job getting at the woman behind the façade, as much as one can from incomplete historical records, and showing not only how Pack’s work was instrumental in the Allied victory in World War II (she obtained the notebooks that gave Alan Turing the key to the Enigma), but also the toll that spywork took on her in later years.  The result is a well-rounded, and well-grounded, portrait of which Publisher’s Weekly says, “Taking advantage of access to newly declassified material… Blum successfully delineates the social forces in play at the time and conveys the irresistible magnetism that turned a young woman into a world-class spy.”

3738778Tarts: From award-winning French chefs Frederic Anton and Christelle Brua comes over one hundred recipes for sweet and savory tarts, with directions on how to get the perfect crust, where to find the perfect ingredients…I am so hungry right now….

 

 

Until next week, beloved patrons…Happy Reading!

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Everyday is World Poetry Day!

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Yesterday, March 21, was World Poetry Day, an event sponsored by theUnited Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), with the aim of recognizing “the unique ability of poetry to capture the creative spirit of the human mind.”  According to Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO, “By giving form and words to that which has none – such as the unfathomable beauty that surrounds us, the immense suffering and misery of the world – poetry contributes to the expansion of our common humanity, helping to increase its strength, solidarity and self-awareness.”

happy-world-poetry-dayWe here at the Free For All are big fans of poetry, and helping patrons everywhere to overcome their metrophobia and embrace all the beauty and wonder that poetry both captures and inspires.  So, in honor of our growing love of poetry, and also, because we missed the Official World Poetry Day (Arthur Dent couldn’t get the hang of Thursdays…I’ve never been able to get the hang of Mondays), we still wanted to take a moment to share some bookish poetry with you today, and encourage you, as ever, to broaden your reading horizons with a little bit of verse today.

As our dear friends at Reading Rainbow have pointed out, poetry is not only a “high art” form that is accessible to a select few–it very often is our first introduction to language.  Sing the ABC’s.  Hum “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”.  You’ll see what I mean.  We’ve also pointed out that reading poetry can help with stress by regulating your heart and your breathing, so it’s a delightful way to unwind no matter where you are.

So here are a few poems to make your day a little brighter, and, hopefully, a little easier.  Enjoy!

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Notes on the Art of Poetry
by Dylan Thomas

I could never have dreamt that there were such goings-on
in the world between the covers of books,
such sandstorms and ice blasts of words,,,
such staggering peace, such enormous laughter,
such and so many blinding bright lights,, ,
splashing all over the pages
in a million bits and pieces
all of which were words, words, words,
and each of which were alive forever
in its own delight and glory and oddity and light.
(From The Poems of Dylan Thomas, New Directions, 2003)
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There is no Frigate like a Book (1286)
By Emily Dickinson

There is no Frigate like a Book
To take us Lands away
Nor any Coursers like a Page
Of prancing Poetry.
This Traverse may the poorest take
Without oppress of Toll;
How frugal is the Chariot
That bears the Human Soul!

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Where My Books Go
By William Butler Yeats

All the words that I utter,
And all the words that I write,
Must spread out their wings untiring,
And never rest in their flight,
Till they come where your sad, sad heart is,
And sing to you in the night,
Beyond where the waters are moving,
Storm-darken’d or starry bright.
(From the Oxford Book of English Verse, 1919)

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Raven Day!

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And so, as promised, today’s post is chock-full of avian delights and atmospheric horrors, in honor of the 171st anniversary of the publication of Edgar Allan Poe’s The Raven in 1845.

To get things started right, here is a recording of Basil Rathbone reading The Raven.  I think this reading is my favorite, not only because he does the voices, but because this reading sounds far more like a dark confession than a recitation.  Poe’s beloved wife, Virginia, was dying while he wrote this piece, and that anguish is present in Rathbone’s reading.  See what you think:

Poe had originally showed the poem to the staff of Graham’s Magazine, which rejected it.  Ultimately, it was a man named George Colton who agreed to publish the poem in The American Review.  Though we don’t know for sure how much Poe received for his work, the standard fee for writers was $15, which would have the purchasing power of about $460 today.

The poem was published under the pseudonym “____ Quarles” (the first name was intentionally left blank), with the follow preface, which notes that in spite of “the curious introduction of some ludicrous touches amidst the serious and impressive, as was doubtless intended by the author”, the poem was “one of the most felicitous specimens of unique rhyming which which has for some time met our eye”:

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Courtesy of The Poe Museum

The poem was an unmitigated sensation on both sides of the Atlantic, and was widely reprinted with Poe’s full name attached.  Elizabeth Barrett wrote to Poe “Your ‘Raven’ has produced a sensation, a ‘fit horror,’ here in England. Some of my friends are taken by the fear of it and some by the music.”  When Poe published The Raven and Other Poems, he dedicated the volume to Elizabeth Barrett in gratitude, not only for her fan mail, but because the meter of the Raven owes a great deal to her own poem, “Lady Geraldine’s Courtship”

However, though Poe’s notoriety sky-rocketed as a result of the poem, he didn’t own the copyright, so he didn’t get paid for any reprints.  To counterbalance this sad fact, here is a recording of Christopher Lee reading The Raven, complete with musical accompaniment!  This version embraces the full creepiness of Poe’s poem, the nightmare aspects of the bird’s appearance:

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That nightmare is one that Poe fully tended to invoke.  In his 1846 work, Philosophy of Composition, he explained “I prefer commencing with the consideration of an effect. Keeping originality always in view …I say to myself, in the first place, “Of the innumerable effects, or impressions, of which the heart, the intellect, or (more generally) the soul is susceptible, what one shall I, on the present occasion, select?”

This essay is a fascinating one, particularly for the glimpse it offers of Poe’s thought process.  For example, he also noted that he specifically intended to trap the poor narrator in an enclosed, familiar space with the titular raven, because “it has always appeared to me that a close circumscription of space is absolutely necessary to the effect of insulated incident: — it has the force of a frame to a picture. It has an indisputable moral power in keeping concentrated the attention…”.

Poe was also deeply conscious of the voice of his protagonist’s strange visitor.  As we’ve noted, the raven upon whom Poe’s poem was based was a fan of saying “Nobody”, but Poe instead chose the word “Nevermore”, not only for the way its syllables fit into the meter of his poem, but because of its sound, in the head and in the mouth: “That such a close, to have force, must be sonorous and susceptible of protracted emphasis, admitted no doubt: and these considerations inevitably led me to the long o as the most sonorous vowel, in connection with r as the most producible consonant.”

And he clearly knew what he was doing.  The Raven is generally accepted to be one of the most important poems in American literature, not only because of its appeal and influence, but because it so neatly touches on some basic, fundamental human fears–the plague of memory, the loss of love, and the terror that it might all, in the end, be meaningless.

But more so that, Poe understood just how scary birds can be, and ravens in particular.  Ravens are among a number of species of bird that can be trained to “speak”.  Unlike parrots, however, their voices tend to sound downright brain-meltinginly terrifying.  Check out a video of a real raven, really trained to say “nevermore”, and tell me your soul doesn’t tremble just a wee bit:

And on that note, I can only hope that we did you proud, Edgar.  Happy Raven Day!

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Saturdays @ the South: Easing past your Metrophobia

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Recently, one of our wonderful librarians took on the touchy subject of poetry here on the blog, namely getting over the apprehension that often comes with the suggestion of reading poetry. I completely agree with her, both that reading poetry can cause that knot in your stomach that often comes with trying something unfamiliar, but that it can also be a rewarding experience. I loved poetry in high school so much that I became co-founder and president of my high-school’s poetry club and continued to love it in college, but as an adult (at least in theory), I’ve found my poetry-reading falling to the wayside and only occasionally reading a poem and even rarely reading a volume of poetry. I’ve been grateful that the Classics book group has embraced National Poetry Month and our coinciding April selection has been a book of poetry the last few years as it reminded me how enjoyable poetry can be. So why did I all but stop reading it?

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The hard truth of it is, poetry requires thought. It doesn’t have a plot that you can follow (usually- ballads are often an exception here and I highly recommend Loreena McKennit’s rendition of Alfred Noyes’s “The Highwayman” for a thrilling poem-turned-song/story). Meaning isn’t always discernible upon the first reading, so poetry often requires time as well as effort and with so many books to read, who has the time for poetry? It’s also a hard truth that not all poetry is for everyone. When I visited Scotland, I took a brief day-tour into the Highlands including a whisky distillery visit. The tour guide told us Scotch novices that not all whisky is for all people and his father gave him some advice: “Finding the right whisky is like finding the right woman. You often have to test out several types before you find the one you want to spend a lot of time with.” Scottish pragmatism aside, I think there’s a solid parallel to poetry here. Some people like free verse, others prefer that poems rhyme. Some people like haiku, while others prefer long ballads. There may be people who want to think long and hard about a poem, while others prefer to have at least some meaning visible from the start. Not everyone likes the same type of poetry and that’s OK because there is plenty of great poetry in many different styles out there to choose from. It just may take a little experimentation to find what you like.

All those poetry choices can be bewildering and further contribute to the anxiety that comes with starting poetry. So how does someone get over it? There are a lot of different options, and like poetry itself, it may take a couple of tries to find the one that works for you. The Millions has offered a brief list of poems for people who hate poetry, so that may be a good place to start. My humble suggestion might be a bit radical, but if you’re truly a metrophobe looking to overcome your fears, it may help to remember the fun of poetry and start with perusing collections that are designed for kids. I’ve already talked about how kids’ books can be an appealing, entertaining respite from adult books and I believe the same holds true for poetry. Furthermore, there are plenty of children’s poetry collections that have poems with broad appeal from traditional “classic” authors. Kids’ poetry titles can be a way of easing yourself into poetry and a reminder that poetry can be fun and enjoyable.

To that end, here are a few suggestions that might just get you over your metrophobia and help you to enjoy poetry:

3175294I’ve Lost My Hippopotamus by Jack Prelutsky

Next to Shel Silverstein, Jack Prelutsky might be the poet most synonymous with kids’ poetry, and for good reason. Many of his verses are light, funny and downright absurd. This compilation includes some hysterical animal combinations like the “penguinchworm” and the “buffalocust” that remind us all that there’s nothing wrong with being silly, particularly when it’s such a productively creative outlet. But there are some deeper poems too, like “The Afternoon My Hamster Died” which deals (albeit briefly) with themes of loss, conflicting emotions and the sense of not really knowing someone. This (and plenty of his other collections) have great potential to bring the joy back into reading poetry.

1180076Cool Melons Turn to Frogs by Matthew Gollub, Kazuko G. Stone and Keiko Smith

This book is an amazing blend of biography and poetry that can easily appeal to nonfiction readers of all ages. While the book tells the story of Issa, a Japanese haiku master, the biography is punctuated with Issa’s haiku poems. This sense of background information allows the reader to gain greater insight into the poems’ meanings, the genre of haiku and how life and poetry can inform each other. The illustrations illuminate the verses beautifully offering additional levels understanding into the poems offered. If you’ve ever thought that a picture book was just for kids or if you’ve ever thought that poetry’s meanings are impenetrable, this sophisticated book will almost certainly change your mind.

3553227Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson

If the slew of honors (Newbery Honor, National Book Award and Coretta Scott King Award) gracing the cover of this book don’t convince you that it’s worth reading a book of poems, perhaps the premise will. This book is a fascinating and brilliant combination of free verse poems that tell the story of Woodson’s life growing up in the North and the South during the 1960’s and 70’s. Each poem acts as a chapter furthering the story of her life during that time and each chapter/poem offers deeper insight into thoughts and feelings in a way that expository prose simply can’t accomplish. This is not only an important work, ingeniously formatted, but an accessible one as well and a great, accessible start to poetry.

3217594National Geographic Book of Animal Poetry ed. by J. Patrick Lewis

Come for the pictures, stay for the poetry. This book is simply amazing. It’s filled with stunning animal photography that you would expect from National Geographic and pairs those photos with poems about the animals depicted. But this compilation is so much more than that. Instead of taking  takes existing poems and excerpts from well-known names like Emily Dickinson, Walt Whitman, Alfred Lord Tennyson, Benjamin Franklin and more. Maybe you were intimidated by some of these poets in school, but somehow, when combined with gorgeous, detailed photos illustrating what the poets are talking about, the poems don’t seem quite so ominous. Instead, they seem joyful, whimsical when taken out of a stodgy textbook context. Organized by animal type (winged ones, strange ones, water ones, etc.) this book is ripe for browsing and picking and choosing. You’re certain to find a poem you appreciate, and maybe even will want to share somewhere among these pages.

Bonus Selection:

2693913Essential Pleasures ed. by Robert Pinsky

This book is in the adult section, not the kids’ section, but it has one essential item in common with many children’s books: the idea of reading aloud. Poetry, like kids’ books are often at their best and most meaningful when they are read aloud. There’s something wonderfully comforting about having someone read to you and this poetry collection does just that. Pinsky, former U.S. Poet Laureate and creator of the Favorite Poem Project, collected a number of poems that work best, not when they are read, but when they are heard. To enforce that, the book is accompanied by a CD of 21 of the poems read aloud by Pinsky. I don’t like to play favorites with my library books, but this book is one that I’m extremely proud to have in the South’s collection. If this concept strikes a chord with you or if you get addicted to hearing poems read aloud (as many were meant to), consider checking out PoemsOutLoud.net which has a large collection of poets reading poems. For the ultimate read-aloud poetry experience, you can also check out this blog’s feature on the Illiad executed by the Almeida Theatre in London.

samuel-johnson-poetry-quotes-poetry-is-the-art-of-uniting-pleasureThis weekend, dear readers, I invited you to take a step towards easing that poetical anxiety and simply read a poem. Bonus points if you read it out loud, triple score if you read it out loud to someone else. Pick one, pick a few, just pick something that resonates with you and sparks an interest. Feel free to laugh! Poetry doesn’t have to be serious, but, as the Pinsky title intimates, it should always be something pleasurable and enjoyed.