April is National Poetry Month, if you haven’t already, maybe it’s time your group considered reading and discussing poetry. Choose a poet and let members select 2 or 3 poems from the poet’s collected worksto read. Members can discuss their reactions to the poems or maybe to poetry as a whole.

The complete poems by Walt Whitman ; edited with an introduction and notes by Francis Murphy

How to read a poem: and fall in love with poetry by Edward Hirsch

How to read a poem— and start a poetry circle by Molly Peacock

Migration: new & selected poems by W.S. Merwin

John Cusack will portray Edgar Allan Poe, the "godfather of goth" in the upcoming movie The raven. Author Edgar Allan Poe forms a reluctant partnership with a police detective to catch a murderer who kills his victims by following elements of Poe's stories. Alice Eve plays Poe's love interest, Alice, and Luke Evans plays the police detective. The film is directed by James McTeigue. The raven is due in the theaters in March 2012.

What do these three topics have in common? Well, they are all covered in the poetry section in the children's department. We have poems on all different kinds of subjects from baseball to ice cream to best friends. Not only do our poetry books cover all kinds of topics, but there are many that are very funny to read. When you feel like a few giggles check out Exploding Gravy or Oh, No! Where are my Pants? You'll find these books in the J800 section in the Children's Department, or a librarian can direct you right to the poetry books. They're also easy to find this month on our octagon book display. So check out our awesome poetry section where the reading is easy, and fun.