"To have great poets, there must be great audiences." Walt Whitman

April is National Poetry Month, and knowing how incredibly popular and important poetry is to all of us (if you're shaking your head right now, please don't shatter my illusions; I may be deluded, but I'm very earnest), I thought I had better get an early start by "waxing poetic" in March.  Thinking about what poet and/or poem to read in preparation for April can be a daunting task, so I want to help out by sharing a link from The Guardian.  Jay Parini, author, professor, and devotee of all things poetic, lists his choices for the ten best American poems.  Now, while there are links to the poems in the Guardian article, I want to remind you, dear reader, that the library has a plethora of poetry books, including one particular volume that contains most of the poems mentioned by Mr. Parini: The Oxford Book of American Poetry.  Poems are like potato chips: you can't read just one (or ten, in this case).  So, you're better off checking out the Oxford anthology.  Actually, poems are better than potato chips.  How?  No crumbs, just lingering images.

She's odd, he's even

I think it must be really hard to write a novel.  I've never done it, mainly because every time I start something with the assumption that it will turn into a NOVEL, it either dribbles away into short story obscurity, or I go to sleep at night wondering, "you really want to keep this going for another 300 pages?"  Imagine then how difficult it would be to write a novel with someone else.  Someone who you used to date.  An "ex."  And, not a close "ex."  Well,  Lisa Lutz, the author of the very fun and funny Spellman books has collaborated with an ex-boyfriend to produce Heads You Lose.  Alternating chapters (look at my blog heading), Lisa Lutz and David Hayward come together to write a mystery centered around Lacey and Paul Hansen, siblings who grow marijuana, find a headless corpse on their property, and disagree about, well, just about everything as they try to solve the crime.  The humor you liked so much in the Spellman books is here, too, and in case you're feeling skeptical about the real-life relationship between Lisa and David, check out this funny book trailer.

Fulfilling a dream

I recently watched a new dvd called They Came to Play, and if you've ever played the piano and wondered what it would be like to participate in the famous Van Cliburn piano competition, you'll appreciate this very entertaining dvd.  There's a bit of a twist, though; these are not professional pianists, dedicating every minute of every day to their passion in hopes of becoming the next Arthur Rubinstein or Lang Lang.  This dvd focuses on the International Piano Competition for Outstanding Amateurs hosted by the Van Cliburn Foundation, and I guarantee you'll be absolutely wowed by the performances.  From a tennis teacher to an ophthalmologist, these "amateurs" follow their dreams of winning a prestigious piano competition.  It just might make you want to practice a bit harder.