Poetry is either loved or a headscratcher. It’s a headscratcher because we aren’t convinced we understand it and don’t know how to approach it. I like to think of a poem as a very brief short story. Every image in a poem pieces that story together. Each word used in the telling can caress, sting, or bury us. A good poem speaks to our emotions, struggles, injustice, love, life, and death in ways prose cannot. It pulls us into the story through imagery and memory, whether or not it rhymes. We will connect with some poets and not others, just as we prefer mysteries over romance. The fun is in finding those poets that speak to our souls.
April is National Poetry Month, so take this opportunity to peruse the poetry collection at Salina Public Library. Not sure where to start? You can’t go wrong with the classics such as Robert Frost, Sylvia Plath, Emily Dickinson, or, dare I say, William Shakespeare. I went through a big Sylvia Plath phase in college, gobbling up every poem of hers I could lay my hands on. Poetry is binge-worthy.
You could also try out some more current works written by local poets, such as:
- This Is Not a Love Note by Emery Diercks
- Fugitive Histories by Harley Elliott
- Into the Stillness by Jackie Magnuson Ash
- At the Mercy of Ourselves by Joe McKenzie
- Naming the Fires by Patricia Traxler
And take a look at the poets featured throughout the last 30+ years at the Salina Poetry Series readings. These are some of my favorites:
- The Rookery by Traci Brimhall
- The Witch of Eye by Kathryn Nuernberger
- Un Mango Grows in Kansas by Huascar E. Medina
- A Tongue in the Mouth of the Dying by Laurie Ann Guerrero
- Peluda by Melissa Lozada-Oliva
- Churches by Kevin Prufer
- Flatlands by Ruth Williams
Or browse the library’s collection in the 811 call number range. You might stumble upon a poet who strums your heartstrings, stirs you to revolution, or expresses the inexpressible.
Even better, attend a poetry reading this month! Nothing is better than hearing poetry read by its author. The annual Poetry Series, hosted by Salina Arts & Humanities, is held on Tuesday evenings in April at 7 p.m. at Red Fern Booksellers, 106 S. Santa Fe. The cost is $5 at the door; free entry with valid student ID. Contact sah@salina.org or call 785-309-5770 for more information.
I’ll see you there.
About The Author: Lori
Lori is the Information Services Outreach Librarian at Salina Public Library. A native of DeKalb, Ill., Lori spent only one summer detassling corn for DeKalb AgResearch and made an impressive $2.35 per hour. She stayed in her hometown and graduated from Northern Illinois University with a B.A. and M.A. in art history. Lori moved to Kansas in 1990 with plans to get a Ph.D. in art history from KU, but that quickly turned into attending Emporia State University and receiving a second master’s degree in library and information science. She met a fellow library student named Nick and they married over spring break just before graduating. Lori enjoys reading about, looking at, and researching anything having to do with art or art historical matters. Every spring she encourages her 30 fruit trees to bear well, and gardens on her three acres in Saline County. She appreciates the style of the 1920s-40s, and can often be found knitting, cooking (and eating) delicious Italian food, obsessively playing Words with Friends or working a crossword puzzle. Lori can be reached at infoservices.lori@salpublib.org.
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