National Poetry Month: The Prison Poet

Robert Counts wears many hats: he is a poet, a chef, an ex-convict.  His passion for poetry developed during his 27-year prison sentence - he read everything he could get his hands on, from the works of Malcolm X to the poetry of Robert Frost.  In time, he started writing poetry of his own.

Rejection

by Robert Counts

I am the stone that the builders must reject
yet I house not anger nor regret
toward anyone lacking imagination,
I was born to move mountains,
to command the breath of worldwinds and hurricanes
to never look back nor down, except in introspection,
to make certain that only splendor surrounds me
and yet when I see pebbles floating on the scum of time,
I am forced to reflect, how can it be
that I am the stone that the builders must reject,
yet I stand tall without such defects,
for perhaps one day, the builders will need just such a structure
to measure up to...

Now, with his 27 year sentence behind him, Robert has earned himself certification as a Culinarian and works as a chef.  But he hasn't abandoned his writing - a book of his poetry titled First Light and Other Poems will hit the shelves this Fall.

To learn more about Mr. Counts, check out this feature article by Doris Friedensohn from the Huffington Post: link

National Poetry Month: Finding Poetry in Nature

Today's Poetry Month feature comes from our very own SCTC faculty, Celeste Matthews!  Alongside her work as veterinarian and teacher in Southern Crescent's Biology department, Dr. Matthews is also an accomplished singer/songwriter.  In the song featured here, Dr. Matthews reflects on some of the threats facing earth's biodiversity.

National Poetry Month: The Poetry of Limbaugh and Gaga

No matter your opinion of Mitt Romney, the first word you think of when you hear his name is probably not "poet."  That is, unless you're Kathryn or Ross Petras.  In their recent article in The Huffington Post, Kathryn and Ross skim through the words of some of today's most prominent public figures, looking for snatches of poetry.  The results are weird, hilarious, horrifying and fascinating.  But mostly hilarious.

Still not convinced?  Maybe the poetry of Lady Gaga will change your mind:

So Many Different Ways to Think About Colors

by Lady Gaga

If I decide to make a red coat in the show, it's not just red. I think:

Is it communist red?

Is it cherry cordial?

Is it ruby red?

Or is it apple red?

Or the big balloon red?

I mean there's so many @&#*ing different kinds of red!

Check out the article here!  (*Warning for strong language)

National Poetry Month has arrived!

Now that we've had a chance to recover from Kodak's false promise of instant live kittens on April Fool's Day, it's time to kick off National Poetry Month!

On the Griffin Campus, celebrate poetry with the library's I Am Poetry project at 3.00 p.m. on Thursday, April 5.  Come and listen to live readings of original poetry by Southern Crescent students!

On the Flint River Campus, stop by the library to check out the Poetry Wall, or submit some poetry of your own!

To cap it all off, we'll be posting poetry on the blog throughout the month.  We're kicking things off with former Poet Laureate Billy Collin's thoughts on reading and teaching poetry.

Introduction to Poetry
by Billy Collins

I ask them to take a poem
and hold it up to the light
like a color slide
or press an ear against its hive.

I say drop a mouse into a poem
and watch him probe his way out,
or walk inside the poem's room
and feel the walls for a light switch.

I want them to waterski
across the surface of a poem
waving at the author's name on the shore.

But all they want to do
is tie the poem to a chair with rope
and torture a confession out of it.

They begin beating it with a hose
to find out what it really means.

April: National Poetry Month

Calligramme de Guillaume Apollinaire [http://peinturefle.free.fr/activite/calligram.htm Source] 

Help us celebrate National Poetry Month in April by sharing your poetry with the world!  To see your poetry featured on both the blog and the Flint River library's Poetry Wall, you can email us or bring your poem to the library desk.  Whether you just like to scribble poems in your note margins during class or are an aspiring writer -- this is your chance to have your voice heard!

To submit a poem, include:
           *Your name and program
           *Do you want your name published along with your poem?
           *A typed, handwritten or scanned version of your poem

You can bring your poem to the front desk, or email it to library@sctech.edu.

To learn more about National Poetry Month, visit the official website here!