Celebrate National Poetry Month

Poetry is for everyone! If you still need convincing, come to any or all of three free workshops being offered in celebration of National Poetry Month. The workshops will be at the Lopez Library on Saturdays, April 16th, 23rd and 30th, 10:30am. Lopezians of all ages are invited to learn to write their own poetry under the friendly tutelage of Lopez poets Maya Borhani, Brooks, and Michel. Ages 10 to 100 are welcome (but if you're 9 or 102, you won't be turned away!).

This special program is sponsored by Friends of Lopez Library and presented by the Lopez Writers Guild.

The Writers Guild is also sponsoring a separate Poets in the Schools program, with additional financial support from Lopez School, a Washington Humanities Quick Grant, and the Lopez Thrift Shop. Last year's "First Annual" Poets in the Schools, as organizers named it hopefully, was proclaimed a great success. At the end of the program, students shared their works at a well-attended public reading at Lopez Library. The pursuit of more grant funding to repeat and expand the program this year was motivated largely by the enthusiasm of teachers who participated last year, according to organizer Maya Borhani of the?Lopez Writers Guild.

This year the school sessions begin April 20th. Borhani said that it was "a puzzle" to fit the poetry program in during National Poetry Month because mandatory state and federal standardized tests also take place in April.

The poets will work with elementary school multi-age literacy groups taught by Kathy Dretske, Alex Nellie, and Dale Shreve. Richard Tetu's 9th grade English class and Elizabeth Simpson's 10th grade English and Advanced Placement English classes will also spend time with the visiting writers.

Borhani said writing exercises will help students learn about the craft of poetry, but then "We'll cut loose" and focus on freeing up creativity and having fun.

The Lopez Writers Guild harbors the hope of including every student in the Poets in the Schools program next year. There wasn't enough funding to reach the middle school this year, but a plan is in the works to have a poetry program there next fall.

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