National Great Poetry Reading Day
National Great Poetry Reading Day is a holiday observed annually on April 28th that encourages all of us to appreciate an art form that has been with humanity since the beginning of the written word. Some of the oldest written works are in poetry form, and many scientists believe that poetry even predates the written word.
Unfortunately, over the past few years, there has been a decline in the number of people who read poetry regularly, and we find that to be quite a shame. So let’s all get together on this day and enjoy some of the most remarkable works ever created.
Interesting Facts About Poetry
For your consideration, here are some interesting facts about poetry that we would like to include with this article.
- The word “poetry” comes from “poiesis,” a Greek word that means “making.”
- The Epic of Gilgamesh is the oldest surviving epic poem and dates back to the 3rd millennium BCE in Sumer (modern-day Iraq).
- August 21st is Poet’s Day.
- The first poet to be buried in the Poet’s Corner of Westminster Abbey was Geoffrey Chaucer.
- The fear of poetry is called Metrophobia.
- Emily Dickinson’s gravestone bears the words “Called Back.”
Observing National Great Poetry Reading Day
On this day, it’s up to everyone to discover the poems that touch their hearts and minds and resonate with them on an emotional level. This is something that varies from person to person, but we have some personal suggestions for what poems should be enjoyed on this day. We’ve collected these suggestions below for everyone to explore and see if they are right for them.
- A Short Collection of Poems to Consider:
- “The Song of the Happy Shepherd” by William Butler Yeats.
- “And Still I Rise” by Maya Angelou.
- “Fire and Ice” by Robert Frost.
- “The Charge of the Light Brigade” by Alfred Tennyson.
- “Ode to a Nightingale” by John Keats.