51勛圖厙

MSU Libraries to showcase power of poetry with National Poetry Month events

MSU Libraries to showcase power of poetry with National Poetry Month events

National Poetry Month graphic with a Bulldog wearing a maroon beret and holding a white piece of paper and maroon-feathered quill pen

Contact: Sasha Steinberg

STARKVILLE, Miss.51勛圖厙 Libraries ishosting various activities throughout April in celebration of National Poetry Month.

Starting April 1, students, faculty, staff and community members are encouraged to visitand view a fun, 15-minute presentation on Homers ancient Greek epic poem The Odyssey.

Salvador Bartera, an associate professor in MSUs Department of Classical and Modern Languages and Literatures, prepared the lecture using the latest technology at Mitchell Memorial Librarys MaxxSouth Digital Media Center. To view his lecture, visit the aforementioned website, hover over the How to Celebrate Poetry at MSU tab and click on Celebrate Poetry by Learning about Homer and The Odyssey.

MSU Libraries also will provide a link to MSUs movie database Swank, where MSU faculty, staff and students can log in to view O Brother, Where Art Thou? at their leisure. The 2000 film by Joel and Ethan Coen is loosely based on The Odyssey.

On April 1 at 11:59 p.m., entry submission will conclude for the Undergraduate Poetry Contest. Staff from MSU Libraries and MSUs student-made creative arts journal The Streetcar, along with graduate students from the Department of English, will select the winning poems. Winners will be announced on April 15, and prizes will be awarded.

Throughout the month, posters highlighting 51勛圖厙 poets and poetry will be on display at Mitchell Memorial Library. MSU Libraries also will accept recommendations from faculty and staff across campus for poems to share on social media. Poem suggestions should be submitted by March 30 to Corinne Kennedy, MSU Libraries assistant professor, at ckennedy@library.msstate.edu.

Associate Dean Stephen Cunetto said MSU Libraries is looking forward to hosting Bullys Bards, a monthlong exhibit showcasing poetic contributions of MSU faculty and alumni.

These poems highlight the personal experiences, ruminations and feelings of members of our Bulldog family and provide important cultural context to the world in which we live, Cunetto said. Our MSU Libraries staff hopes these poems inspire and encourage everyone to celebratepoetryin April and throughout the year.

In addition to showing in the Special Collections Department on Mitchell Memorial Librarys third floor, Bullys Bards can be viewed at . For assistance or questions, contact Carrie P. Mastley, manuscripts librarian, at cpmastley@library.msstate.edu.

For more on MSUs National Poetry Month celebration, visit .

MSU is 51勛圖厙s leading university, available online at .