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National Poetry Month
There's more to April than practical jokes and income taxes. It's also National Poetry Month, a 30-day celebration of haiku, free verse, sonnets and everything in between. Since 1996, the Academy of American Poets (http://www.poets.org/npm/) has used the month to promote readings, festivals, workshops and other activities in order to bring poetry to a mass audience. The following resources will help you celebrate.
Sometime in April, pay a visit to the Poetry & Rare Books Collection (http://ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/units/pl/) in 420 Capen Hall, inside the Undergraduate Library. These poetry books do not circulate, but there are always exhibits and displays of rare editions by renowned poets, including Sylvia Plath, William Carlos Williams and 2002 Pulitzer-Prize winner and UB faculty member Carl Dennis.
Looking for a book of poetry to take home this month? The UB Libraries' Poems: Research Guide for Locating and Researching Poetry (http://ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/asl/guides/poetry.html) can point you in the right direction. The guide, prepared by Laura Taddeo, the libraries' English and American Literature specialist, provides search tips for locating poems and anthologies in the BISON catalog, in addition to links to electronic poetry resources.
If you prefer poetry readings, keep an eye on the Artvoice Calendar (http://www.artvoice.com/TEMPWEBART/calendar.html). Poetry events for the week can be found under the "Literary" category. Buffalo Poetics (http://buffalopoetics.blogspot.com/) also provides a current calendar of area poetry events, as well as links to small presses in the Western New York area.
Finally, connect with other poets through the Electronic Poetry Center (http://epc.buffalo.edu/), maintained by the university's Poetics Program. The E-Poetry section provides extensive lists of links to the "blogs" (online journals) and personal Web sites of established and lesser-known poets around the world, as well as links to online literary magazines. You just might discover the next John Ashbery or Nikki Giovanni!
—Jennifer L. Behrens, University Libraries