Samuel Taylor Coleridge famously said that poetry is, “the best words in the best order.” It has also been said that poetry is “efficient literature,” packing a powerful, emotion filled punch using few words. Whether you agree with these descriptions or not, the staff, board and volunteers at the Attleboro Library encourage you to give some poetry a try.
Each year the Attleboro Library celebrates National Poetry Month by highlighting the breadth and depth of its poetry collection and by allowing library visitors to engage with contemporary poetry and poets. The goal of National Poetry Month is to make poetry accessible and more widely read, to eliminate the stereotype that poetry is only for the academic elite. Poetry, so often heard at weddings and funerals, is truly written for a diverse audience, and includes many styles of writing, from sonnets to limericks.
This year, our poetry display highlights work for all ages, from illustrated picture books to novels in verse from the middle school collection to treasuries of poems collected by celebrity editors like Garrison Keillor. Poetry books in English and in Spanish are included, as well as print and audio titles. Our intention is to include something for everyone!
Sam Cornish admires an early version of his portrait by artist and poet, Stanley Stamatel.
The Attleboro Library is very pleased to include a poetry reading as a part of our celebration. A unique and dynamic organization, The Carpenter Poets of Jamaica Plain, will be reading their work at the library on Saturday, April 25th, at 1:30pm. The writers and craftspeople will also be unveiling a carved wood sculpture of Poet Laureate Emeritus, Sam Cornish, created by writer and carpenter Stanley Stamatel, of Plainville. The Carpenter Poets’ book, Break Time, is available through the library.
