National Poetry Month…focus on Carl Sandburg

A native of  Illinois, Sandburg is widely known for his biography of Abraham Lincoln, as well as his poetry.  He wrote in and about Chicago, describing the “common man” and using free verse.  He received the Pulitzer Prize in 1940 for History.

Chicago Poems

He also wrote children’s stories.  He died in 1967.

Literary Criticism

Writing an essay can be a daunting experience. Especially when you don’t understand the literature or the time period that you are writing on. Writing a paper comparing the poems of Edgar Alan Poe and Walt Whitman will be difficult if you don’t know anything about the author, the 19th century, the author’s contemporaries, or the genres of literature the authors composed. When trying to accomplish such a task it is helpful to call on some very useful resources that we have available to you here at the PSC Library.

We have an excellent collection of literary criticism books, located north of the computers, in our reference section. From contemporary criticism to period specific (19th century; 20th century) or genre specific such as poetry, short story, or drama; We have what you need. Whether you are old school and prefer hard text or have a proclivity to use digital resources, again we have what you need.

We offer the database MagillOnLiterature Plus. This resource gives access to many articles written on the author of certain works and also on individual works themselves. In addition Magill provides the Master Plots I&II Series (which include plot summaries in addition to analysis). This resource also offers encyclopedia articles on authors, literary characters, and settings. We also have the database Biography In-context. This database provides over 600,000 entries updated daily with biographical information, newspaper, and journal articles on many individuals. So if the literary essay is what you are writing, check out these resources as well as many others that we carry. If you have trouble locating them ask your Librarian!

Illinois History and Culture on Display at the Library

“State Sovereignty, National Union”

Since being named the 21st State in 1818, Illinois has provided the United States with its fair share of history and culture. Over the course of nearly two centuries it has seen everything from the majesties of the Columbian Exposition to the tragedies of the Pullman Strikes and “The Great Fire”. It witnessed the birth of a fast-food giant, housed a major insurance company, and raised four presidents.  It has seen sports stars grow into legends, supported a thriving blues and jazz scene, and groomed literary powerhouses like Hemingway, Bradbury, and Sandburg. Now you can share in the rich history and culture of Illinois by stopping into the Library this month and checking some of the great books we’ll be having on display.

National Poetry Display

National Poetry Month is a month-long, national celebration of poetry established by the Academy of American Poets. The concept is to widen the attention of individuals and the media to the art of poetry, to living poets, to our complex poetic heritage, and to poetry books and journals of wide aesthetic range and concern.

So take the time this April to either participate in any of the Academy of American Poets’ 30 Ways to Celebrate Poetry this April or come into the library and check out some of our displays and resources we have on Poets and Poetry.

Poetry? Poetry.

I don’t have stats on this, but I’m willing to bet that the farther you get from high school, the less likely you are to read much poetry. For one, you no longer have an English teacher forcing you to recognize the difference between iambic pentameter and free verse. For two, as you get farther into your twenties you’re probably not going to get as many scribbled love poems or copy and pasted song lyrics declaring undying devotion. It’s just the way things go. And I think that’s ok. There’s a lot to read–from trashy novels, to the daily news, to celebrity bios. All fun and informative and way less complicated (and less cheesy) than those poems you read in high school.

So why am I writing a blog post about poetry? How can I possibly convince you to overlook all the bad experience you might have had with poetry and try again? Take a minute and think of your current favorite song . You know, the one that gets you out of bed in the morning, that you sing in the shower, that is getting you through your break up, that is set as your ringtone. Ok, you know how that song makes you feel every time you hear it? That’s what poetry can do. It can make you feel that way.