The Friends of the Columbus-Lowndes Public Library will launch its April Table Talk series on Wednesday, April 6, at noon in the library meeting room, 314 Seventh St. N. As a salute to National Poetry Month, the Table Talks will focus on the oldest of literary art forms — the poem.
Now in its 15th year, National Poetry Month was established by the Academy of American Poets in 1996, with the aim of drawing the attention of individuals and organizations to the art of poetry, to living poets, and to our complex poetic heritage.
To kick off this month”s talks, the Friends will host a “Poetry Open Mic” session April 6. “We wanted to offer something that invited audience participation,” said Friends member Margo Bretz, “and this will give everyone an opportunity to read or recite a favorite poem or entertain us with an original composition.”
Elizabeth Simpson, whose book of poems, “Love and Other Madness,” is planned for publication later this year, will moderate the poetic give-and-take.
Doors open at 11:30 a.m. for those wishing to bring their lunch and socialize before the program begins at noon. The Friends will serve iced tea.
April programs
“Other programs during April will examine how poetry works and why it moves us. Our speakers will discuss both famous and unfamiliar poems during their presentations,” related Friends board member Jo Shumake.
- April 6 — Elizabeth Simpson moderates “Poetry Open Mic.” It”s not as daunting as it sounds. Share a favorite poem with friends.
- April 13 — Dr. Tom Richardson, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Mississippi University for Women, and Emma Richardson, of the English Department at Mississippi School for Math and Science, will examine “what poetry is” and “what” it means and “how” it means by looking at a variety of writings.
- April 20 — Dr. Kendall Dunkelberg, Department of English at MUW will discuss formal poetry, looking at sonnets from the earliest practitioners in the time of Petrarch to those written by recent poets.
- April 27 — Dr. Jack H. White, director emeritus of the Honors Program at Mississippi State University, will focus on the American poet as a “voice of society,” discussing the work of Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson and Robert Frost, among others.
For more information on the April Table Talk series, contact the Friends at [email protected]
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