Flickr photo courtesy of surrealmuse

Poetry can be beautiful. It can be confusing. It can also be insightful. Weird. Intense. Inspiring. Visual. Auditory. Evocative. Emotional. Funny. Memorable. It is always thought-provoking. And it makes for wonderful discussions at our One Page Poetry Circles, returning this February through May for a spring series that will celebrate the nature of this very unique literary form. Madge McKeithen, faculty member of The Writing Program at The New School, will lead the discussions. Our March and April circles will feature themes from our One Book, One Community series.

Wednesday, February 17 at 7pm – Poetry & Risk
Think Love. Relationships. Chance. Danger. Ventures. . .

Wednesday, March 17 at 7pm – Poetry & Movement
Think Wind. Journeys. Lack of control. Restoration. . .  

Wednesday, April 14 at 7pm – Poetry & Things Green
Think Nature. Money. Life. Prosperity. . .

Wednesday, May 19 at 7pm - Poetry & Play
Think Spring. Fun. Baseball. Freedom. Pretending. Imagination. . .

Simply bring along a single page of poetry (by an established poet) that means something to you - perhaps a poem that you remember from childhood, one that you find interesting or unusual, or one that you might not quite understand. For each session, we will always have a theme to guide you in your selections. Everyone has an opportunity to read and share their choices with the group, and then we'll have some lively discussions about them. It's a great way to discover new writings, hear others' thoughts, and share your own.

Not sure where to start in finding your One Page?

• Darien Library’s poetry collection, located in Main Reading Room on the 2nd floor, is full of all kinds of goodies, including compilations from contemporary authors, local and New England poets, and classic favorites. Here's one to try, for sure: Poetry on the Record: 98 Poets Read Their Works.
   
• The Academy of American Poets (www.poets.org)
  You can browse for poems by specific subject, read about your favorite american writers, and find essays on topics such as poetry & music, form & technique, and how to read a poem.
   
• The Poetry Foundation (poetryfoundation.org)
  Use the Poetry Tool to find poems according to poet, category, occasion, title, first line, or keyword. Your search results will contain a mix of poems, news, articles, audio, and video. To narrow your result to poems only, click the “Poems” tab at the top of your search listings.