Speaking Volumes | Learn more about modern poetry at Manatee County library

In the month of April, we celebrated poetry. National Poetry Month was first established in April 1996 by the Academy of American Poets. Beautiful and moving poetry continues to be created each year, but some associate it only with famed poems of the past that they grew up memorizing in school. Amanda Gorman’s recitation of her poem “The Hill We Climb” at this year’s presidential inauguration shined a dazzling new light on modern poetry. Gorman’s subsequent performance at the Super Bowl brought poetry into the homes of many who have not thought much about this literary form since childhood. This month consider checking out one of the many collections of modern poetry available at the library.

Authors that you may know best for their fiction novels have recently turned to poetry to express themselves. “American Melancholy” (2021) by Joyce Carol Oates shares her observations of daily life and human nature, along with her thoughts on issues of contemporary social issues such as poverty and violence. Oates is a prolific writer with more than 50 novels and numerous poems and short stories, but this is her first poetry collection in 25 years. Barbara Kingsolver’s “How to Fly (In Ten Thousand Easy Lessons)” (2020) reflects on everyday life and nature, in a series of poems ranging from the topic of divorce to coral reefs. Spirituality, which runs deep in her most famous novel, “The Poisonwood Bible,” is a continuing theme throughout these poems. Best known for “The Handmaid’s Tale,” Margaret Atwood’s newest book, “Dearly,” (2020) is her first collection of poems in over a decade. Her work reminisces on a multitude of topics around the themes of growing older and life’s everyday observances.

Poetry has a long-standing history as an activist art form and way of sharing the perspectives of oppressed groups. “Light for the World to See: A Thousand Words on Race and Hope” (2020) by Kwame Alexander, famed children’s author, is a short collection of lyrical poems addressing contemporary racial injustice in a hopeful and powerful way. “What Kind of Woman” (2020) is the first collection by Kate Baer, who gained numerous accolades for her modern poetry on Instagram. Baer shares the stories of a woman struggling to feel seen and understood in her public and private life. “An American Sunrise: Poems” (2019) by Joy Harjo tells the important story of the Mvskoke (Muscogee Creek) tribe. Harjo became the first Native American United States Poet Laureate in 2019 shortly before publishing this collection. Harjo connects her personal stories and struggles to the historic ones of her tribe, revealing the spiritual connections of the past and present.

All the books mentioned, along with numerous other poetry titles are available at the library. Also, check out Manatee Libraries’ very own 805 Art + Lit Journal for original poetry in every issue, 805lit.org.

Speaking Volumes is written by members of the staff at the Manatee County Public Library System. Katie Fleck is the library’s assistant information services supervisor.

Downtown Library: 748-5555; Braden River: 727-6079; Island: 778-6341; Palmetto: 722-3333; Rocky Bluff: 723-4821; South Manatee: 755-3892. (All numbers are area code 941)

Your library is online: www.mymanatee.org/library. Free masks are available at all library locations. Manatee Libraries is fine free, Lost/damaged fees still apply.