April is National Poetry Month, and this year marks the 25th annual celebration of poets and poetry. This year, you can attend Poetry & the Creative Mind online and for free on April 29 at 4:30 p.m. Pacific Time for the first time. Poetry & the Creative Mind will feature actors, dancers, artists, musicians, and public figures reading favorite poetry. Register for free here. 

Poem in Your Pocket Day 2021 will be on Thursday, April 29. If you are out and about on April 29, you can write down or print out a poem to carry with you throughout the day. If you’d like to get involved from home, poets.org has some great ideas for how to do so, including sharing a poem on social media using the hashtag #PocketPoem. 

If you’d like more ideas for how to celebrate National Poetry Month and Poem in Your Pocket Day this year, Poets.org has amassed a collection of 30 ways to celebrate at home or online. 

You can continue to celebrate poets and poetry through April and beyond by checking out poetry from Hannon Library. The selection of books below includes books that are new to Hannon Library, award winners and nominees, and books about reading poetry. 

Recommended Poetry

African American Poetry: 250 Years of Struggle & Song edited by Kevin Young

Check it out here.

An American Sunrise: Poems by Joy Harjo

Check it out here.

Ararat by Louise Glück

Check it out here.

DMZ Colony by Don Mee Choi

Check it out here.

Furious Flower: Seeding the Future of African American Poetry edited by Joanne V. Gabbin and Lauren K. Alleyne; foreword by Rita Dove

Check it out here.

How to Carry Water: Selected Poems of Lucille Clifton by Lucille Clifton

Check it out here.

Post Colonial Love Poem by Natalie Diaz

Check it out here.

The Seven Ages by Louise Glück

Check it out here.

The Tradition by Jericho Brown

Check it out here.

A Treatise on Stars by Mei-mei Berssenbrugge

Check it out here.

When the Light of the World Was Subdued, Our Songs Came Through by Joy Harjo (Editor), LeAnne Howe (Executive Associate Editor), Jennifer Elise Foerster (Associate Editor)

 

Books About Reading Poetry

How to Read a Poem: And Fall in Love with Poetry by Edward Hirsch

Check it out here.

The Poem Is You: 60 Contemporary American Poems and How to Read Them by Stephanie Burt

Check it out here.

 

 

 

Hannon Library observes Freedom of Information Day by commemorating the birthday of the fourth president of the United States, James Madison, and focusing on the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Many government documents are already publicly available to view at Hannon Library and online, but the FOIA enables individuals to request access to other records from federal agencies. 

The “Father of the United States Constitution,” James Madison

Often regarded as a supporter of openness in government and public access to government information, James Madison Jr. was born on March 16, 1751. The anniversary of his birth is the reason Freedom of Information Day is celebrated on March 16 each year. For an ebook about his life, consider reading James Madison: A Son of Virginia and a Founder of the Nation by Jeff Broadwater online.

The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) 

Why care about the Freedom of Information Act? The FOIA promotes transparency and requires that federal government agencies share information requested under the FOIA unless it meets one of the nine exemptions permitted. If you’re interested in requesting information from a government agency, learning more about the FOIA and how to take advantage of it, consider checking out this FAQ. 

To dive deeper into the inner workings of the FOIA, you might consider taking a look at the Freedom of Information Act Guide online or view the physical copy at Hannon Library. This document covers details about fees and fee waivers, information about all nine exemptions, litigation considerations, and more. 

If you want to further your understanding of the more recent history of the FOIA, you can access fairly recent congressional committee hearings concerning the FOIA. Check out Ensuring Transparency Through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), a hearing before the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform that took place on June 2, 2015. You can view the physical copy or take a look at it online. 

Another document you might be interested in is Open Government and Freedom of Information: Reinvigorating the Freedom of Information Act for the Digital Age, which details the hearing before the Committee on the Judiciary of the United States Senate that occurred on March 11, 2014. You can access this document online or in Hannon Library. 

You can find many other resources related to the FOIA at Hannon Library. SOU’s Hannon Library is a Federal Depository Library, so many Government Publications you may be interested in are easily accessible through our LibGuide. If you’re having trouble finding what you’re looking for, our qualified librarians can help you. To receive assistance, you can chat with a librarian during Chat Research hours or submit a message to Ask a Librarian anytime.