Patron's Corner: This National Poetry Month consider the power of words
April is National Poetry Month. Poetry holds a special place in my heart. Words have such power, and poetry is truly an art form. Words, information, and helping people are the reasons I became a librarian. But my love for words began far before I worked at a library. I’ve written poems most of my life. I can remember my English class during 6th grade at PR Leyva like it was yesterday. My teacher told us about a poetry contest and said the winners would be published in a big book of poetry. I wrote several poems and submitted my favorite two. I wanted my poem to be perfect and move the reader. Never did I think one of mine would be selected, and I was so excited to find out one would grace the pages of this collection of poems. My love from there only grew, and I am excited to celebrate National Poetry Month.
The first year National Poetry Month was celebrated was in 1996. It was created by the Academy of American Poets after the success of Black History Month and Women’s History Month. While this month is relatively new, poetry itself goes back longer. “Epic of Gilgamesh” dating back to 2100 B.C., is cited as the first-ever written piece of poetry. It tells an epic tale of a hero in ancient Mesopotamia. It was written on two tablets. A great way to celebrate National Poetry Month would be to read this poem. You can do that from your library. That’s right - we have a copy you can check out. Unfortunately, it is not on two tablets, but you can see a picture of the original tablets. The book we have is “An Old Babylonian Version of the Gilgamesh Epic” by Morris Jastrow. This 110-page book includes the translation of the poem and history in it. You can check this book out with a library card. It is online and can be downloaded from anywhere with an internet connection. How cool is that?
This poem is part of our BiblioBoard Library mobile and web platform that provides access to these local eBook collections, a historical database, and so much more. Patrons in our system can access BiblioBoard Library on their preferred browser, tablet, or mobile device. All content on BiblioBoard Library is also available with no holds, waits, or checkouts, making it perfect for classroom use, book clubs, and community reads. But there is so much more. It also offers unique services for authors. This suite of resources encourages local writers and readers to create, share, and discover unique digital content.
The Pressbooks Public self-publishing tool allows patrons to create professional-quality print-ready and eBook files with ease. Pressbooks is available to all our patrons with unlimited access and requires no previous design or tech knowledge.
The Indie Author Project invites local authors and writers to share their eBooks with participating libraries throughout New Mexico in the Indie New Mexico collection on BiblioBoard Library. There is always the potential for inclusion in the royalty-paying Indie Author Project Select collections available at libraries all across the U.S. and Canada.
Using these resources or reading the first written poem are just a few ways you can celebrate this April.
This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: Patron's Corner: This National Poetry Month consider the power of words
