April is National Poetry Month

April is an opportunity to celebrate the expressiveness and charm of poetry.

Some may think of poetry as boring, but Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College allows us to change our perspectives and look upon poetry as a rhythmic art of expressing one’s thoughts through their students and creative writing classes.

The success of Black History Month in February and Women’s History Month in March led to the initiation of National Poetry Month in April by the Academy of American Poets, but the history of poetry goes back thousands of years. Creative Writing Professor Dr. Tammy Townsend said, “I tell my students that poetry is a condensed language. It boils down to its lowest common denominator and if we want someone to feel what we feel, we have to show them what we saw that made us feel that way. So, we focus on imagery. We focus on all the senses.”

Be sure to check out poetry books and materials at your local library.