Welcome to National Poetry Month

THIS IS A STICKY POST~~

Welcome to the 2010 National Poetry Month Blog Tour!

I’ve been doing National Poetry Month events on the blog for several years from writing a poem a day to posting about new poets, but this year, I thought it was time to step it up a notch!

So I’ve corralled some great blogger buddies and poets to contribute in the first ever National Poetry Month Blog Tour.  Monica at Monniblog created some great buttons for the occasion, and you’ll see some variation of them throughout the month-long tour.

You’re probably asking yourself, what will I find on this tour.  Never fear, I will be posting a schedule of blogs, their dates, and their topics for you.  But first I want to let you know that you too can read poetry, enjoy the places it takes you, and share it with friends and family.  Like fiction or nonfiction, poetry just requires some exploration to find the poetry that speaks to you.

Nikki Giovanni says, “I’ve never ‘blogged’ before so this is new territory for me.  I do poetry though and that is always somewhere in the netherland.  I think poetry is employed by truth.  I think our job is to tell the truth as we see it.  Don’t you just hate a namby-pamby poem?  That goes all over the place saying nothing. Poets should be strong in our emotions and our words.  That might make us difficult to live with but I do believe easier to love.  Poetry is garlic.  Not for everyone but those who take it never get caught by werewolves.”

Hopefully, this blog tour will express the variety of poetry available and you will find poets and poetry that you connect with.  If not, that’s OK too, but maybe we can’t be friends (LOL).

At the end of the month, I am going to post a poll for you to decide which posts you enjoyed most, and the top three bloggers — and maybe more, depending on the donations — will receive a prize for participating.  Never fear, there will be prizes for readers as well.

Here on Savvy, I’ll be showcasing a variety of contemporary poets, the Virtual Poetry Circles will continue as scheduled, but there will be a few other fiction and nonfiction books featured for pre-scheduled tours.

OK, lets get to the National Poetry Month 2010 Blog Tour Schedule (I’m so happy with the turnout):

April 1:  Savvy Verse & Wit Welcome Post, Maw Books showcases her old poetry, Semicolon‘s Favorite Classic Poems Survey

April 2:  Diary of an Eccentric on Emily Dickinson, 32 Poems Interview with Geoffrey Brock

April 3:  Regular Rumination on poet Claudia Emerson

April 4:  Indextrious Reader interviews poetry publisher Brick Books

April 5:  Jenn’s Bookshelves reviews Tighty Whitey Spider by Kenn Nesbitt, West of Mars introduces the Roadie Poet

April 6:  Janel’s Jumble showcases Estrella Azul, The Betty and Boo Chronicles showcases Slamming Open the Door.

April 7:  Reading Frenzy features Edgar Allan Poe

April 8:  Books and Movies features Billy Collins

April 9:  Rhapsody in Books features W.B. Yeats, Literate Housewife will talk about Alan Ginsburg and one of his readings

April 10:  Booking Mama will review several children’s poetry books, Write Meg! features Kim Addonzinio

April 11:  Tea Leaves will review “Song of two worlds” by Alan Lightman

April 12:  Monniblog will highlight British Columbia, Canada, poets/poetry, Ernie Wormwood will talk about driving Lucille Clifton who did not drive.

April 13:  Life Is a Patchwork Quilt features poetry for the deaf

April 14:  SMS Book Reviews will surprise us with a poetry book review, Author Ru Freeman will talk about poetry’s cross-cultural presence, such as Palestinian poet Dharwish

April 15:  KCBooks will discuss Robert Frost’s The Outsider and how it impacted her, Author Amok will post a Wall of Shame with a list of states that do not have poet laureates.

April 16:  the life (and lies) of an inanimate flying object will review Poetry Speaks Who I Am and host a giveaway for 2 books, Evelyn Alfred will profile either Rita Dove, Marilyn Nelson, or Mari Evans.

April 17:  She Is Too Fond of Books will review Tighty Whitey Spider, A Circle of Books will review a small illustrated Poetry anthology, Wordsworth The Eternal Romantic.

April 18:  Bibliofreak will feature slam poet Regie Gibson and a technique for writing poetry that resembles that kid’s game called MASH.

April 19:  New Century Reading will review a couple of poetry books, 1330V will also post a poetry book review

April 20:  Bermudaonion will review The New Kid on the Block by Jack Prelutsky, 32 Poems Blog will interview John Poch.

April 21:  A Few More Pages will feature Lucille Clifton

April 22:  Necromancy Never Pays will feature a poem

April 23:  Everything Distils Into Reading will review a poetry book, In Bed With Books will discuss Romantic poetry, how to read it, and review Mad, Bad, and Dangerous to Know.

April 24:  the bookworm will feature Pablo Neruda

April 25:  Bookalicio.us will review How to (un)cage a Girl by Francesca Lia Block

April 26:  Peeking Between the Pages will feature a guest post from Bernadette Geyer; things mean a lot will review Mary Oliver’s Red Bird; Jen’s Book Thoughts features THE LINEUP: Poems on Crime by Reed Farrel Coleman

April 27:  Jen’s Book Thoughts follows up with more poems of Reed Farrel Coleman; Linus’s Blanket will talk about her experience reading poetry, Reb Livingston’s Your Ten Favorite Words, for That’s How I Blog show with yours truly.

April 28:  Ooh Books will post a poem for Free Verse with Mr. Linky; Estrella Azul will feature Karen Schindler.

April 29:  Online Publicist will interview me, Boston Bibliophile interviews Ellen Steinbaum

April 30: Brimful Curiosities will feature read aloud poetry: Read-Aloud Rhymes for the Very Young collected by Jack Prelutsky, All Kinds Of Families by Mary Ann Hoberman, The Wonder Book by Amy Krouse Rosenthal; Diary of an Eccentric‘s The Girl talks about Shel Silverstein and his books

Thanks in advance to everyone who is participating!

Here’s the Mr. Linky to post your full link from the tour.  If you want to hop on the tour and post about poetry during the month and snag a button, you’re more than welcome to add your links too!