Poetry Month

What is Poetry Month?

Poetry Month (1–31 August) is a new initiative presented by Red Room Poetry to celebrate Australian poetry, poets and publishers.

Their goal is to increase access, awareness, value and visibility of poetry in all its forms and for all audiences.

The inaugural Poetry Month will be held during August 2021 with the aim of an ongoing annual celebration.

Why should you write poetry?

Poetry writing, regardless of your age or writing level, allows you to practice and improve your literacy and critical and creative thinking (CCT) skills.

The significance of poetry

^{Thank you for joining the celebration of Poetry Month at Punchbowl Boys’ High School.}

^{Poetry is all around us. It’s found in holy texts, songs, stories, speech, and even in advertising. People write poetry to explore what it means to be a human being, and every poem is a tiny door that opens to show us a little more of the human experience. Poems remind us how wonderful humankind is; how diverse, clever, and creative.}

^{Irish poet Padraig O’Tauma says that “a poem is a little machine for remembering stuff.” The machinery consists of stanzas and line breaks that organise feelings and ideas. The ‘nuts and bolts’ of this machinery are similes and metaphors and well-chosen words that create memorable images. The “stuff” that needs to be remembered is around what it means to be a human being in the 21st Century.}

^{Every poem exists because someone wrote about an experience that gave rise to an intense emotion. We are all different, but we all share this existence, and poetry can connect us by communicating our values, insights, and emotions.}

^{Here's a poem that I am enjoying right now are:}