Philly celebrates the form
It makes sense that a nursery rhyme reminds us that April has 30 days, since April is also Poetry Month, and even those who can't curb their enthusiasm for meter, rhyme, and metaphor may want to make plans to see what all the fuss is about.
It makes sense that a nursery rhyme reminds us that April has 30 days, since April is also Poetry Month, and even those who can't curb their enthusiasm for meter, rhyme, and metaphor may want to make plans to see what all the fuss is about.
That's easy in Philadelphia, which will celebrate its own Poetry Day on April 12. (The school district celebrates April 10. Contact your school for details.)
Philly Poetry Day starts at 12:01 a.m. at the Green Line Cafe, across from Clark Park in West Philadelphia, where Leonard Gontarek and friends will read. Gontarek, a member of the Philadelphia Poetry Day Committee, says, "It is a responsibility of the poet to bring poetry to its audience. . . . I want to bring 365 days of poetry to Philadelphia in one day."
Lillian Dunn, another committee member, who headlines an Italian Market reading, sounds a similar note: "This one day embodies what poetry is to me . . . surprise and delight and reflection."
Hila Ratzabi and Sonia Petruse are organizing an eco-poetry reading on the Schuylkill at 3 p.m. on the lawn near the Fairmount Water Works gazebo. The aim, Ratzabi says, is to "honor this river running through us, and raise awareness of how our actions affect our habitats."
Go to phillypoetryday.com for a list of what's planned so far, and note that the site offers an easy way to add to the list.
- Frank Wilson