4/23/20

National Poetry Month 2020 Activity Pack Day 23

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Yep—April 2020 is still rolling along... which means...
Every day for National Poetry Month I'll be posting a few fun or interesting poetry links or videos, a Throwback writing prompt from this site, a few poems published in the last couple years and a couple classic poems—things that are poetry-related interesting or fun.

You will have a change to write poetry even if you've never done it before—the writing prompts aim to demystify the process of writing a poem. This will not take the place of the 2020 Writing Exercise Series, but will be in addition to it, so there will be a bounty of poetry to feast your eyes upon.

So. Let's begin.

April 23, 2020
National Poetry Month 2020 Activity Pack Day 23


1)  Let's start out with this 15 minute documentary from 1966 about Frank O'Hara with him talking about paintings, movies, a film he was making with the painter/filmmaker Alfred Lindsey shortly before he passed, and reading a number of poems including "The Day Lady Died" and "Having a Coke with You" as well as others.


2) TV TIME! First let's watch Time Magazine ask John Ashberry ten questions.


Here is John Ashberry reading the poem "Song"


And finally, here is Charles Simic reading three short poems "Ghosts" "County Fair" and "Sunday Papers"


3) Now go read one, or preferably all of the following three 'recently' published poems:

“Plucking Away” by Di Jayawickrema in Jellyfish Review April 14, 2020.
"Elsewhere" by Emily Jungmin Yoon in New England Review 41.1.
"Volley of Darkness" by Marilyn McVicker in Front Porch Review April 2020. 

4) Go read all of the following three poems that were published more than two years ago:


5) Now let's watch Yale Series of Younger Poets 2010 winner Katherine Larson reading her poem "Metamorphosis"