Every April since 1996, the US has celebrated National Poetry Month. While the Academy of American Poets has developed a 30-day list of activities, the IU East Campus Library has resources and databases to help students, staff and faculty observe year ‘round. To kick things off this year, the Library is hosting a drop-in poetry activity on Thursday, April 13 from 12:30 to 1:30 PM. Snacks will be provided for this free, fun event
The Library has an array of poetry books and databases. From books by former US Poet Laureate Joy Harjo to a video about current US poet laureate Ada Limon, the library offers a variety of materials to assist with research. The library’s list of poetry databases includes ProQuest’s 20th Century American Poetry It contains more than 300 authors ranging from Andrei Codrescu to Adrienne Rich, and the original Chadwyck-Healey British poetry collection, which includes works from 1250 poets ranging in date between 600 and 1900.
But wait, there’s more! The Latino Literature collection puts together fiction and drama along with over 100,000 pages of Latino poetry. IU East also has access to the African American Poetry (1600-1900) database, which indexes poets ranging from Lucy Terry Prince (the oldest known named African American poet) to Paul Laurence Dunbar. Additionally, the Library also subscribes to the Scottish Women Poets of the Romantic Period database, totaling over 9000 pages of poetry.
IU East also boasts poetry from its own students and faculty. Take time to read the student journal Tributaries, which collects poetry and fiction from IU East and, more recently, other Indiana college students. Associate professor and award-winning poet Brian Brodeur has a fascinating website How a Poem Happens, which focuses on in-depth interviews with contemporary poets. And the Mary Fell Collection, located in the IU East archives, collects manuscripts, teaching materials, autographed books and other documents related to professor emerita Mary Fell.
Interested in reading or writing poetry? Want to learn more about rhyme, meter, form and other poetical topics? Curious about other ways to celebrate National Poetry Month? Ask us! iueref@iue.edu or click this button:
