It's National Poetry Month

If you're an avid reader of novels or memoirs, this is your month to celebrate something different. Try the genre of poetry.
Now, don't turn your nose up and say it's not for you. You'd be surprised at the great poetry books we have here at the Moultrie-Colquitt County Library.
When you tour our books in the 811.5 section, of course you're going to see familiar names that have floated across the years, such as: Edna St. Vincent Millay, Robert Frost,
E. E. Cummings, Carl Sandburg, and Sylvia Plath. But you're also going to see poetry by Nikki Giovanni, Alice Walker, and Jimmy Carter, not to mention Rod McKuen and Helen Steiner Rice.
Probably some of the most popular poetry is by Maya Angelou, who wrote my favorite "Phenomenal Woman." We also have her book "The Complete Collected Poems of Maya Angelou." (811.54A).
I think one of the poets I have liked best over the years is Ogden Nash. I used to have a small book of his poetry and that's when I found his humor. But you can check out a much larger book of his poetry, "Selected Poems of Ogden Nash - I Wouldn't Have Missed It" (811.52N) and find it just as funny.
We also have poetry by Georgia poets. One is Agnes Cochran Bramblett, who wrote "With Lifted Heart" (811.52B). It's a slim white cover book with a red decoration and the poetry is just delightful.
Another Georgia poet is Jeanne Osborne Gibbs. Her teal green book's cover with gold letters is titled "The Other Side of the Water" (811.54G). It reads like a memoir and I found it very interesting with its plain everyday language.
"Snaps, Poems by Victor Hernandez Cruz" (811.54C) is another small book. Sometimes it seems the really good poems are in little books. You might want to take a look at this one.
Then there's "Dunking Doughnuts - A Fun Look at Life through the Verse of Leonhard Dowty" (811.54D). But don't look for that one right away. I've checked it out. It's a tiny book. The colorful picture on the cover, illustrated by Peter Lippman, is of a doughnut swimming in a cup of coffee. Riding on top of the floating doughnut are a woman, two small children, a cat, and a man peering through a spy glass. The theme is nautical, anchors and all. The reading inside is just as clever and crazy-like. It was just too good to pass
up.
There may be a few poets laureate on our shelves, as well as National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize winners, but I like to look for those poets who speak my language, tell great stories, and often make me laugh. After all, poetry should be fun.
Check out a poetry book out during National Poetry Month. And don't forget to look for those small books.