poetry

poetry

CCS Poetry Slam 2018

CCS Poetry Slam 2018

April is National Poetry Month so IU East hosted a poetry slam featuring the creative work of 34 students in grades 5-8 at Community Christian School in Richmond. IU East library staff KT Lowe led three workshops in April, culminating with the students’ poetry performances at the IU East Campus Library. The poems ranged in subject from dance and running to video games and comic strips. Lowe, who is a published poet, with work published in Wayne Literary Review, Red Fez and other journals, first had students experience some poems written by a variety of authors both famous and unfamiliar, from preteen slam poets to established…. basketball players. After reading and talking about the poems, then students would cover basic … Continued
It’s National Poetry Month? Nonsense!

It’s National Poetry Month? Nonsense!

’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves      Did gyre and gimble in the wabe: All mimsy were the borogoves,      And the mome raths outgrabe. “Jabberwocky” by Lewis Carroll   While many of us associate poetry with big words, flowery images and rhyme, there has always been a nonsense streak as well. The above poem, possibly Lewis Carroll’s most famous poem, is one of the best known examples of nonsense poetry. Yet nonsense poems, and Carroll’s in particular, often carry significant political undertones. For example, in Carroll’s “The Hunting of the Snark”, he tackles vivisection and the role of anthrocentrist activities in scientific pursuit. Jabberwocky itself may be a commentary on the notion of “meaning” – that is, according to … Continued
Roses are red, violets are blue, I can now poem, and I thank you

Roses are red, violets are blue, I can now poem, and I thank you

Over four days in April and May this year, the IU East Campus Library partnered with Community Christian Schools to write and perform original slam poetry pieces. This project was sparked by Jackie Schilicte, who brought in IU East librarian KT Lowe to lead the workshops. Twenty seven students participated in this program in honor of National Poetry Month, delivering poems on a number of different subjects, including death, owls, basketball, mysterious creatures in the woods and, of course, bacon. Students in fifth through eighth grades taught by Lori Fowler participated in the program. On the first class session, they were introduced to recited poetry by the likes of Internet poet Suli Breaks, actor Nick Offerman and children’s author Shel … Continued
Their Voices Matter

Their Voices Matter

The IU East Campus Library acts not only as a resource for IU East students, but also for the community that the campus serves. This year, the library partnered in several K-12 programs, the largest of which was the Early College 8th Grade Diversity project. Every year, the IU East Campus Library, as part of its commitment to the Early College program, assists 8th grade students at Hibberd Intermediate School in Richmond, Indiana on a yearlong diversity-oriented research project. This year, the class focused on community development through a civic planning project. Students combined independent research with advice and knowledge from city leaders and experts to develop plans for a better, stronger community. City of Richmond officials came out in … Continued
Poetry Demystified

Poetry Demystified

Poetry. The word is loaded with ideas of Elizabethan romance, intentional obscurity and namby-pamby rhymes. Lest this be your only impression of poetry, the IU East Campus Library has plenty of resources available to demystify poems and poets for even the most non-lyrical reader. First, poetry itself isn’t limited to a particular time, place, style or author. IU East keeps a number of poetry anthologies in its collection, ranging from contemporary American (The New Anthology of American Poetry) to Latino voices (Looking Out, Looking In) to a strict focus on 20th century poets (Twentieth-Century American Poetry) a collection focused entirely on a single place (Baghdad: The City in Verse). These broad overviews allow you to dip in and find something … Continued