Poetry is a language spoken around the world.
Although you may not regularly sit down and read poetry, chances are you are exposed to some form of it every day. Do you jump rope? If you do, you may sing a song like this to keep your feet moving.
Down by the seashore, down by the sea,
Johnny broke a bottle and blamed it on me.
I told ma, ma told pa,
Johnny got a spanking, ha-ha-ha!
If you jump rope, sing or rap, you are participating in a form of language art that has been around for thousands of years! Recently, poetry has been reinvented through poetry "slams." At poetry slams, poets perform to a lively, critical audience. But, no matter what form poetry takes, all poems use words to express ideas, feelings, thoughts and images.
National Poetry Month is celebrated in April each year.
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Helen von Kolnitz Hyer S.C. Poet Laureate 1974 - 1983 Like Archibald Rutledge, Helen von Kolnitz Hyer had a calling to be a poet at a very young age. As a girl, she memorized poems from her aunt's...
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Maya Angelou (April 4, 1928 - May 28, 2014) Dr. Maya Angelou's busy career has included work as a poet, historian, songwriter, playwright, dancer, film producer, director, actress, singer, and civil...
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The Inuit of the Arctic Circle The Inuit culture has survived in some of the coldest, most remote parts of the world. Home to the Inuit is the Arctic landscape of Greenland and the northern parts of...
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Rhythm and Line Breaks There are even more ways that Tom Slack can improve on his word "painting." Michael Carey teaches that rhythm and line breaks are basic tools that add meaning to poems. Like a...
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Ennis Rees S.C. Poet Laureate 1984 - 1985 In 1984, Ennis Rees was named the third poet laureate of South Carolina by Governor Dick Riley. At the time, Ennis had been an English professor at the...
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Robert Frost 1874-1963 After a failed attempt at farming in New Hampshire, Frost moved with his wife to England in 1912. There, he was influenced by the great English poets of the day. His friend Ezra...
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The Joy of a Singer A wonderful occupation Making songs! But all too often they Are failures. A wonderful fate Getting wishes fulfilled! But all too often they Slip past. A wonderful occupation...
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Michael Carey's two most basic tools for saying more with less are simile and metaphor. Michael teaches that these tools of comparison add even more meaning to a poem. A simile is a comparison that...
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Grace Freeman S.C. Poet Laureate 1985 - 1986 Grace Freeman was named poet laureate of South Carolina by Governor Dick Riley in 1985. Grace was born in Greenville County, and her poems, stories, plays...
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Rita Dove 1952 - In 1987, Rita Dove was one of the youngest poets to win a Pulitzer Prize for poetry. Dove also became the youngest poet laureate of the United States in 1993. Currently, Dove is a...
