Poets and aspiring poets, readers and writers: National Poetry Month has arrived, and it runs throughout the entire month of April.

This special celebration was inaugurated by the Academy of American Poets in 1996 after they were inspired by all the success that Black History Month and Women’s History Month has had. 

In celebration of National Poetry Month, “Parallels Literary & Visual Arts Magazine” is accepting submissions of poetry, short stories, plays/screenplays, photography, art, and nonfiction. For more information, join their Google Classroom with the code gru7i8 or contact Ms. Shari Griswold with any questions.

Also the Mountaineer, SHS’s award-winning publication, has created a poetry feature for students to showcase their work.  Students are encouraged to submit their poems to [email protected].

“I think this month is a great way to allow authors and poets of any kind to share their writing with teachers, students, and so many others who are willing to read them and give their feedback on it.” said senior Gabe Howard, who is enrolled in the Creative Writing course.

This month inspires so many poets and writers nationwide to get out of their writer’s block, to write and to freely express themselves. It also gets aspiring writers to take that leap of faith and finally put that pen to paper and let the words flow.

Writing, whether it’s a poem or a short story, is so important for so many reasons. Poetry makes people feel less alone in this world and truly understand that things will get better. Poetry is a way to put feelings into words, a way for poets to relate to their readers and make them understand that no one in this world is ever alone, despite how lonely they may feel.

“I think poetry is important because it gives you a chance to truly express your feelings on paper, and it gives you a chance to relate or express how someone else is feeling who can’t put it into words,” said junior Nyla Estefany. “Different people can relate to different poems and it makes them feel a little less alone in the world.”

Writing of any sort, especially poetry, is a great resource to use in an English classroom. Poetry is defined as literary work in which special intensity is given to the expression of feelings and ideas by the use of distinctive style and rhythm. Poets go above and beyond to make their readers feel something when they read their poems. Poetry is an art that is expressed through words and it makes the reader feel something.

“Poetry is an important concept to teach in English classrooms,” said English teacher Ms. Jamie Bowman. “It teaches students new vocabulary words that they probably didn’t know of before, along with improving their reading comprehension skills and textual analysis. It’s also fun to be exposed to different types of writing.” 

According to The Atlantic magazine, poetry offers students a healthy outlet for all the feelings that are surging through them. As a student, especially a high school student, there are many struggles and obstacles they don’t fully understand how to deal with. This is one reason why so many students keep receiving disciplinary action and acting out: it’s the only way that they know how to deal with what they’re going through. Poetry can also improve students’ writing skills which can be a great help, especially when they have to write essays and research papers.

There is more to poetry than what meets the eye. To truly understand poetry, it is necessary to dig in deep and read between the lines.

“There are deeper meanings to poetry that you have to interpret,” said junior Keenan Macklin. “It forces you to actually think about the meaning behind the poem.”

National History Month is more than just poems and well known poets. It’s about the universal feelings and experiences shown in the poems that almost everyone can relate to. It’s about the inspiration and sense of hope these poets provide their readers with. Most importantly, it’s about writing something that means something to the author and the readers. 

To read SHS student poems, click on the link below.

Students showcase their original poems for National Poetry Month