It’s National Poetry Month, so I want to highlight some relevant resources. Since poetry is often best appreciated when you can listen to someone read it, I thought I’d highlight audio resources this year.
Podcasts
First here are some podcasts related to poetry:
The Slowdown: Poetry & Reflection Daily
Interesting People Reading Poetry
Commonplace: Conversations with Poets
Listening Room
Another resource for listening to poetry is the Listening Room offered through Columbia Granger’s World of Poetry. Most of the poems included are classics, but you can listen to contemporary poets or actors. For example, you can listen to Rita Dove read Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s Sonnet 43. I also like the Compare Poems feature where you can look at two poems side-by-side.
Poetry Archive Audio
With over 2000 free poems, 500 poets’ work and 5 million visitors a year, the Poetry Archive represents a rich diversity of both poets and poetry. It is wholly dedicated to the production, acquisition and preservation of recordings of significant poets reading their work aloud.
Videos
We have videos of performances and documentaries about poets available through streaming or on dvd. Here is a selection.
Poetry Slams: Reasserting Poetry’s Oral Tradition
Celebrating 30 years of National Poetry Month
This last resource isn’t related to audio versions of poetry, but a colleague of mine created a wonderful display related to the 30th anniversary of National Poetry Month that you can see right now. It’s located in the Hubbard Case on the first floor of Perkins Library near the Perkins Service Desk. This display highlights poets with strong connections to Durham. Check out this page for more details and go take a look when you get a chance! It runs through April 30th.