Monday Musings

  April is National Poetry Month. The celebration was initiated by the American Academy of Poets in April 1996. Both their  Website  and  X page   offer a plethora of poetry information and experiences. You can sign up for  Poem-a-Day  and receive a free poem every day, direct to your email or listen to  Poem-a-Day on Spotify . There is an opportunity to share poetry with others via participating in  Poem in Your Pocket Day  on April 10, 2025 (date changes annually). It’s easy: download the  Poem in Your Pocket Day PDF  that includes 15 poems by American poets. Carry it with you: Share a poem or a video of yourself reading the poem on social media; add a poem to your email footer; send the poem to friends, family, or local authorities; or read the poem out loud in an outdoor space. As a practicing trauma surgeon, I read a poem daily to the surgical team on rounds during April. If you would like to obtain an actual  Poem in...

As April draws to a close, so does National Poetry Month. For poets, traditional events include  Poem-A-Day (PAD) challenges , such as those posted daily by  Robert Lee Brewer  of Writer’s Digest. For those poets who are hardy enough to actually compose 30 poems during the month, there is an opportunity to submit their creative works on the Poetic Asides site and discuss them with poets worldwide. Poets have used the Writer’s Digest  April PAD challenge  as a springboard to create poetry books from their compilation of poems. The haiku world sponsors its own recognition of the PAD theme but stretches it through the entire year. For example, take a look at the daily posts of the Haiku Foundation:  Haiku of the Day 2022 .  The  Academy of American Poets  honors the month with special observances. Every year the organization produces a poster. In addition, the Academy puts out the  Poem in Your Pocket  volume (available in a downloadab...