April is National Poetry Month and Collin College is kicking off this wonderful celebration of language through “Off the Page and On-Campus: A Celebration of National Poetry Month,” a poetry reading at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, April 9 at the Preston Ridge Conference Center.
This year’s event will feature the poetry of R. Flowers Rivera, author of “Troubling Accents”and Leslie Richardson, whose poetry has been published in “The Paris Review.” In addition to the two featured poets, Collin College students, faculty, staff and community members are invited to read or recite one of their favorite poems by a published poet.
“While the most common association with poetry is the love poem and those works with strict structures and rhymes, poetry is expansive and not limited to a single subject matter or form,” said Collin College English Professor Dr. Diana C. Gingo. “Some poetry is visual, some musical, and while it may be surprising to some new to the world of poetry, poetry deals with the horrific and terrible as well as the lovely and sublime. For those who may be apprehensive or unfamiliar with poetry, remember, music is poetry.”
While Collin College has long celebrated poetry in the classroom and at special events, this year marks the second annual official National Poetry Month event. Attendees can ask the featured poets questions about their works and the writing/publication process during the question and answer session, and engage the authors during the signing and reception. In addition to the reading, the Preston Ridge Campus Library will feature a National Poetry Month display.
For more information about National Poetry Month, visit Poets.org. To read at the event, contact Dr. Diana C. Gingo at dgingo@collin.edu or 972.377.1631. For those hesitant to read at the event, a favorite poem can be tweeted #pocketpoem on “Poem in My Pocket Day” on April 24.