poetry Archives – Spokane County Library District

Ways to Connect with Poems & Celebrate National Poetry Month this April

Posted in Explore and Discover on April 5, 2023 at 6:00 am

By Melissa Rhoades Since 1996, April has been designated as National Poetry Month to recognize and honor this long-lived and varied artform. Poems can be emotional expressions, political statements, a spiritual practice, a way to convey narrative, a whimsical play with language, and many other things. Likewise, poems can fulfill specific rhythms, s […]

Over 148,000 Full-Text Reads in This Great Digital Resource for Literature Fans

Posted in Explore and Discover on November 23, 2021 at 6:00 am

Leisure readers, students, and people engaged in professional literature research will find quick searches to quality information (without advertisements getting in the way) when using Gale Literature: Litfinder. Litfinder is found in our Digital Library and is a fantastic tool for lovers of contemporary and classic literature from around the world […]

Incredible reads to finish out your summer

Posted in Explore and Discover on July 31, 2019 at 6:00 am

By Rachel Underwood I am not a picky reader. I love recommendations from other readers, especially those that lead to finding an amazing and unexpected read. It’s one of my most favorite things! If you are on the lookout for a great read, here are just some of my all-time favorite novels, biographies, poetry/short story […]

Explore the arts for enormous rewards

Posted in Explore and Discover on June 12, 2019 at 6:00 am

by Melissa Rhoades Writer Kurt Vonnegut survived being a soldier and prisoner of war during WWII. He also suffered from depression. Knowing these facts adds extra weight to Vonnegut’s thoughts about the importance of art: “The arts are not a way to make a living. They are a very human way of making life more […]

Spring brings kittens and puppies and poetry, oh my!

Posted in Explore and Discover on April 16, 2019 at 6:00 am

By Susan Goertz April come she will when streams are ripe and swelled with rain. –from “April Come She Will” composed by Paul Simon This time of year the song “April Come She Will” inevitably gets stuck in my head. If I just shared my earworm with you, then you may want to check out […]

Literary field guide: Local authors at the 2019 Get Lit! Festival

Posted in Explore and Discover on April 11, 2019 at 6:00 am

By Caitlin Wheeler In the past 20 years, the Get Lit! Festival has hosted a whole slew of authors of exciting written work: Kurt Vonnegut, Jane Smiley, and Tim O’Brien are just a few. This year is no exception. At the 2019 festival, you’ll find the opportunity to hear from Roxane Gay, Tommy Orange, Kaveh […]

Happy birthday! A reading list of authors with July birthdays

Posted in Explore and Discover on July 17, 2018 at 6:00 am

By Nathaniel Youmans This one’s for all you with summer birthdays out there. Remember in grade school when the end of the year drew close and teachers, even more burnt out than their students, had to find some reason (summon the willpower) to celebrate students with summer birthdays? At my elementary school, this took the […]

Tags: authors, birthdays, books, fiction, poetry, poets, reading

Poetry of resistance and environmental justice

Posted in Explore and Discover on May 3, 2018 at 6:00 am

by Nathaniel Youmans Since its inauguration in 1996 by the Academy of American Poets, National Poetry Month has become perhaps the single most-celebrated global literary phenomenon of the year, making April arguably the most literate month. Sorry November, your romantic dreariness and proclivity for wool socks and chai lattes are no match for the e […]

Poetry in Spokane: Get Lit!, Tod Marshall, and Scablands Books

Posted in Explore and Discover on May 1, 2018 at 6:00 am

by Nathaniel Youmans Spokane has been a vibrating hive of activity during National Poetry Month. Eastern Washington University’s Masters in Fine Arts in Creative Writing program has had another smash hit year of literary programming for the 20th annual Get Lit! Festival, featuring readings, workshops, and panel discussions all across the Spokane […]

Reading in between: Done with winter but not quite ready for spring

Posted in Explore and Discover on April 24, 2018 at 6:00 am

By Susan Goertz Winter has never been my favorite season. This one seemed to drag out endlessly—gray clouds heaped on the horizon like immobile lumps of oatmeal. The sun rarely filtered through. At last, with April’s arrival, the light is returning—the dormant season ending. Though I’ve longed for this, there is a chill reticence still […]

TAG: poetry