by Nick Richardson
I hadn’t realized this until I took the time to click through our archives, but the overarching argument of all the Bits poetry blogs I’ve written so far has been that poetry can, in fact, be fun… and toward that end, poetry should be read aloud and recited, incorporated into our daily lives, and actively enjoyed.
As educators, this is our mandate: resuscitating the literary arts and exciting students. It’s a difficult challenge, often because—as previously discussed —it’s easy to get frustrated by indifference and “turn to public domain big guns to inspire respect if not obeisance.” Unfortunately, the inherent fun of poetry usually slips away during the resultant fracas.
The following short films, Poems are Fun (1956) and Let’s Read Poetry (1957), are great—if a little dated—reminders that poetry can and should be lived and learned, that poetry is fun! I’d love to see what these would look like today. Any thoughts? In any case, enjoy:
Poems are Fun (1956)
Let’s Read Poetry (1957)
A recap, for those just tuning in:
Who’s Afraid of Teaching Poetry?
Ars Poetica: For Students Who Wonder What the Point Is, Anyway
Contemporary Politics/Poetics
Why So Serious: Are Happy Poems Taboo?
Minute by Minute with #Micropoetry
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Nick Richardson is an associate editor at Bedford/St.Martin’s. He holds an MA in Literary and Cultural Theory from Boston College and has published three books (two poetry, one prose), exhibiting what poet Andrei Codrescu has called “a fresh sort of daring in the overstrained broth of contemporary American poetry.” He is also the publisher of A Mutual Respect Books and Music, an underground chapbook press operating out of Brooklyn, NY.