Poetry GSO 2010!

Celebrate your love of poetry with Poetry GSO 2010! Here are great young adult events planned for Greensboro in April:

Poetry Jazz and Java - Hear live music and some of the best poets in the area. Starbucks in Quaker Village • April 1 at 7 pm.

An Explosion Of Words II - This event is for young poets, musicians and singers 13-17 years old, their families and friends. DJ T-Nice will provide the music. Snacks and drinks will be provided. April 10 at 3 pm • Hemphill Branch Library Local Voices - Sunday April 11 from 3 - 5 pm • Vance Chavis Library

Teen Poetry Workshop with Glenis Redmond - Learn to use brainstorming, imagery, and layering in writing powerful poems. Bring poems you are working on. April 12 at 4 pm • Central Library Poetry Reading with Glenis Redmond - April 12 at 7 pm • Central Library

Spoken Word & Art - Bring your best poem, share with others and participate in a project where we create art from found objects. Bring canned food to share with Second Harvest Food Bank. April 14 at 6:30 pm • Hemphill Library

One Purpose, One Voice: Poetry With A Purpose - See how poetry can re-shape your community; a gathering of more than 40 poets. Saturday April 17 at 7 pm • Greensboro Historical Museum

Poetry Reading with Marilyn Nelson - The entire family will enjoy this award winning poet. Music by Triad Youth Jazz Society. April 18 at 3 pm • Greensboro Historical Museum

Monday Night Poetry - Join us for Open Mic night. April 19 at 7 pm • Central Library

International Poetry Night: A Multilingual Celebration of Poetry - Hear or share a favorite poem. Previous years included poems in English, French, Chinese, Russian, Spanish, Vietnamese, Portuguese, German and more! April 20 from 7:45 - 8:45 pm • Glenwood Library

Open Mic: Spoken Word - Sign up for Open Mic at 7:30 pm; program starts at 8 pm. April 24 • Tate Street Coffee House

Poetry Reading With Julia Ebel & High School Poets Laureate - Hear some of our best teen poets. April 25 at 2:30 pm • Central Library Monday Night Poetry

Open Mic night - April 26 at 7 pm • Central Library

The Sweethearts of Rhythm - Enjoy selected poetry readings from Marilyn Nelson’s book about the famous female integrated swing band that toured the U.S., breaking attendance records, from 1937 to 1946. After the reading there will be a screening of the documentary about the band. April 27 at 7 pm • Central Library

Rumi Poetry Reading - Hear the spiritual poems of the ancient mystic Rumi. April 26 at 7:30 pm • Central Library

National Poem in Your Pocket Day - Stop by any library to get a free poem for your pocket to share with friends, family and co-workers. April 30

Poetry Jazz & Java - Local poets and live music. April 29 at 7 pm • Catitude Cafe, 718 W. Market St.

Reading & Reception with Jimmy Santiago Baca - From prison to National Book Award nominee, Jimmy Baca has led an interesting life to say the least. April 30 from 5 to 6 pm • Central Library

Día de los Ninos/Día de los Libros - Featured poet Jimmy Santiago Baca will offer a reading with plenty of entertainment for the entire family. Games, food, music, crafts and more! May 1 from 1 to 6 pm • Center City Park, Downtown Greensboro

Triad Teen Poetry Meetup!

Do you like writing and listening to poetry? Then the Triad Teen Poetry Meetup wants YOU! Young adults ages 13-17 who love the written or spoken word are encouraged to join this new local organization devoted just to poetry! Regular meetups will be scheduled throughout the area, so you can meet and share your poetry with other local teens. And as a member you can use TTPM's new online forum to track other local poets and share your own poetry!

Visit the Triad Teen Poetry Meetup's website to join today. Minors will need parental permission to join. Only the adults who organize the meetups or who serve as writing mentors can participate. Sponsored by the Greensboro Public Library.

"In its nature poetry is pure and simple" - - Keith C. Douglas

Goldsmith's Daughter, by Tanya Landman

In this tale about the ancient Mayan culture a young girl named Itacate is being raised by her father, an important goldsmith, after her mother dies in childbirth. Her brother, according to custom, is in training to follow in his father's craft. But Itacate is the one to show the true gift to work with gold!

Set at the end the Aztec's reign of power (when the Spanish army arrive), the Goldsmith's daugther raises the question "What would it be like to live back then?"

Winter's End, by Jean-Claude Mourlevat

In a bleak oppressive society four desperate teenagers escape their prison-like boarding schools and try to make their way to join the underground rebellion to strike a blow against their government! Only one is recaptured, and is forced to fight in barbaric one-on-one fights to the death for the amusement of his captors. Can he be rescued in time?

Winter's End is an award winning book in France, and only recently translated into English.

Hamlet, by John Marsden

Murder! Revenge! Lust! Remorse! Betrayal! Sounds like a great young adult novel, right? Shakespeare's enduring story about Hamlet's struggle to revenge the death of his father, who was killed by his own uncle (now king) Claudius, has been around now for over 800 years. But while our language has changed a lot over those years, Shakespeare's words have not - leaving readers to read and re-read his plays to better understand them. How frustrating! Have you ever wished that someone would just get around to rewriting Hamlet using the words we use today?

The wait is over! Hamlet, by John Marsden, IS set in modern times. It has much of the basic plot of the original story, and the characters are named the same, only now it's almost - - dare I say it - - FUN to read! School Library Journal called this "a wonderful treatment of the play: engaging, gripping, dark and lovely."

Mare’s War, by Tanita S. Davis

She wears high heels, a pushup bra, drinks bourbon with lemon, and drives her sporty red car like a “bat out of hell.” Grandma Mare is definitely NOT your average grandma! And this summer her granddaughters Tali and Octavia will find themselves driving cross country with her on their way to a family reunion. They quickly strike a bargain: the girls won’t plug themselves into their radios if Mare doesn’t smoke. Taking advantage of the silence in the car, Mare then begins to tell the girls her life story . . . .

This is an exciting read! Mare helps her sister and herself escape her mother’s lecherous boyfriend, followed by her quickly joining an African-American regiment in the Women’s Army Corps during World War II. The narrative switches between her early life adventures, and their modern-day cross country trip, so you don’t get bored.

L8r, g8r by Lauren Myracle


It's their last year in high school, and Zoe, Maddie and Angela keep the IM messages flying about their adventures, plans after they graduate, senior prom, and (of course!) their boyfriends. Told exclusively in instant messages and chat room sessions, L8r, g8r is a funny book that will appeal to anyone who has spent moments on their cell phone anxiously typing out messages to their friends!

And if you like L8r, g8r, don't miss the two earlier books in this funny series: Ttyl and Ttfn!