April 18: Celebrate National Poetry Month at Kaiser
April 2, 2013 •
Did you know that Thursday, April 18, is Poem in Your Pocket Day?
In fact, the entire month of April is National Poetry Month. The OP Staff Assembly is celebrating by holding an open mic poetry reading, 12 to 1 p.m. in 512 Kaiser, and you are invited to participate by reading your own poem, reciting one of your favorite poems or playing a video of someone else reading poetry.
Or just come by to listen and enjoy. Refreshments will be served.
The idea for the event came from Darlene Alvarez, calculations specialist in the Retirement Administration Service Center and communications co-chair for OP Staff Assembly. She also writes poetry herself.
“I know there are several people at UCOP who write poetry and do creative writing,” Alvarez said, “so I thought there might be some interest here in doing something in honor of National Poetry Month.”
Alvarez immerses herself in poetry daily through the Poem-A-Day program of the Academy of American Poets, which pops a poem into your inbox daily via email or RSS feed.
If you are interested in participating in the April 18 event, please send an email to OPStaffAssembly@ucop.edu and say what you would like to do. Sign-up sheets will also be available at the April Friday breakfasts, April 5 at Franklin and April 12 at Kaiser. (Be sure to note whether you would like to play a video so the equipment can be made available.)
Depending on interest, OP Staff Assembly is hoping to add another poetry reading event for the Franklin building later in the month.
National Poetry Month was inaugurated by the Academy of American Poets in 1996 and is now held every April. Thousands of poets, schools, libraries and other organizations participate through readings, festivals and workshops to celebrate poetry and its place in American literature and culture.
When I was with Puente (now moved to UC Berkeley), we asked all staff members on our Kaiser floor to post one of their favorite poems outside their office/cubicle during National Poetry Month. Almost everyone participated, and there was a huge variety of poetry displayed.
Lizzy