National Poetry Month: A World of Poetry | Periscope

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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Langston Hughes | Poetry All-Stars
Langston Hughes | Poetry All-Stars
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Langston Hughes 1902-1967 Langston's father once discouraged him from writing poetry. He believed discrimination would keep the young Langston from finding success as a poet. But Langston continued to...
Poetry Is an Ancient Language Art | A World of Poetry
Poetry Is an Ancient Language Art | A World of Poetry
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Poetry Is an Ancient Language Art In this image from The Odyssey, Odysseus is seen strapped to the mast of his ship. Most researchers believe that poetry is older than written language itself. The...
Say the Most You Can...Fewest Words | Tools of the Trade
Say the Most You Can...Fewest Words | Tools of the Trade
Episode 1

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"Say the most you can in the fewest words." - Michael Carey, Poet and Teacher We have explored the importance of poetry to people around the world. There are as many, or more, different types of...
What Is a Poet Laureate? | Poets Laureate
What Is a Poet Laureate? | Poets Laureate
Episode 1

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Poets Laureate of England The tradition of employing a poet as "poet laureate" began with the royalty of England in the 16th century. Poets laureate held an official position in the royal court. The...
What Is Haiku? What Are the Rules?
What Is Haiku? What Are the Rules?
Episode 1

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What Is Haiku? "Simply what is happening in this place at this moment." - Matsuo Basho Traditional haiku describes a moment in time using words that awaken the senses. Matsuo Basho, a famous haiku...
Archibald Rutledge | Poets Laureate
Archibald Rutledge | Poets Laureate
Episode 2

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Archibald Rutledge S.C. Poet Laureate 1936-1949 It has been said that "Archie" Rutledge was a born poet. He composed his first piece of poetry at the age of three. It exists in print to this very day...
Around the World with Poetry | A World of Poetry
Around the World with Poetry | A World of Poetry
Episode 2

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Around the World with Poetry People from cultures around the world use poetry for expression, entertainment and communication. Different languages and cultural backgrounds affect why and how a poem is...
Walt Whitman | Poetry All-Stars
Walt Whitman | Poetry All-Stars
Episode 2

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Walt Whitman 1819 - 1892 Walt Whitman, "The Great Grey Poet," was born in 1819 on Long Island in New York. At an early age, Whitman began reading the work of Shakespeare and Homer. His love of words...
Helen von Kolnitz Hyer | Poets Laureate
Helen von Kolnitz Hyer | Poets Laureate
Episode 3

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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...
Maya Angelou | Poetry All-Stars
Maya Angelou | Poetry All-Stars
Episode 3

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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...
The Inuit of the Arctic Circle | A World of Poetry
The Inuit of the Arctic Circle | A World of Poetry
Episode 3

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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...
Ennis Rees | Poets Laureate
Ennis Rees | Poets Laureate
Episode 4

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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...
Rhythm and Line Breaks | Tools of the Trade
Rhythm and Line Breaks | Tools of the Trade
Episode 4

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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...
Robert Frost | Poetry All-Stars
Robert Frost | Poetry All-Stars
Episode 4

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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...
The Joy of a Singer | A World of Poetry
The Joy of a Singer | A World of Poetry
Episode 4

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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...
Chile: A Nation of Poets | A World of Poetry
Chile: A Nation of Poets | A World of Poetry
Episode 5

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Chile Chile has been called "a nation of poets." At a recent poetry convention in Chile, over 20,000 Chileans came to hear the work of poets from around the world. Two Chilean poets, Pablo Neruda and...
Comparisons, Part 1 | Tools of the Trade
Comparisons, Part 1 | Tools of the Trade
Episode 5

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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...
Grace Freeman | Poets Laureate
Grace Freeman | Poets Laureate
Episode 5

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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...
Rita Dove | Poetry All-Stars
Rita Dove | Poetry All-Stars
Episode 5

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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...
Comparisons, Part 2 | Tools of the Trade
Comparisons, Part 2 | Tools of the Trade
Episode 6

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So, Tom used simile and metaphor in his poem. He even gave it a name! Small Victory Like enormous snails a bunch of munching cows cross the road, chewing their cuds as green, gloppy paste drips from...
Edgar Allan Poe | Poetry All-Stars
Edgar Allan Poe | Poetry All-Stars
Episode 6

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Edgar Allan Poe 1809 - 1849 In 1826, Edgar Allan Poe entered the University of Virginia. He was a successful student, but had a problem with gambling, for which he was forced to leave. After a short...
Rocking | A World of Poetry
Rocking | A World of Poetry
Episode 6

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Rocking The sea rocks her thousands of waves. The sea is divine. Hearing the loving sea I rock my son. The wind wandering by night Rocks the wheat. Hearing the loving wind I rock my son. God, the...