It's hard not to think of poetry as a dying art form. As much as it should be included seamlessly with our curriculum, it has become necessary to separate it and treat it as its own entity. Special units where you do a week long crash course on poetry in the classroom do not do the genre justice.
While having a month dedicated to poetry may seem like its perpetuating the same idea, that it's separate from other literature, I think it is important that we separate it in celebration. April is National Poetry Month, and one of my favorite literary events of the year. I think each year I come upon something even more creative and original.
While reading through some articles this year I stumbled upon American Sign Language poetry. They are in the works of a documentary on "deaf poetry jams," where poetry is strictly performed using sign language.
As much as I am a word person, I love that poetry can come through strictly in motion, and that its untranslatable into vocabulary for those who don't know the meanings and connotations of sign. You still get the feeling though, especially with these teens who are so passionate about it.
Give this article a look, and check out the video. These organizations are doing some really cool things.
