Press contact: Donna Urschel (202) 707-1639
Public contact: Center for the Book (202) 707-5221

April 12, 2006

Poets and Young Readers Take Part in National Poetry Month April 27

New “How to Eat a Poem” Anthology To Be Distributed

Well-known Washington, D.C., poets Richard McCann and Kenny Carroll and young readers from Brightwood and Stanton elementary schools in the District will participate in a National Poetry Month celebration at the Library of Congress at 4 p.m. on Thursday, April 27, in the Mumford Room on the sixth floor of the James Madison Building, 101 Independence Ave. S.E., Washington, D.C.

Hosted by the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress, the event is free and open to the public; no reservations are needed. The program is co-sponsored by the Academy of American Poets; the American Poetry and Literacy Project; and DC SCORES, an affiliate of America SCORES, a national nonprofit organization that brings soccer and literacy to young people across the country. The Academy of American Poets and the American Poetry and Literacy Project are national reading promotion partners of the Center for the Book.

On April 27, the children and the poets will read poems from a new anthology, "How to Eat a Poem: Smorgasboard of Tasty and Delicious Poems for Young Readers," which will be distributed at the event. Recently published by the Academy of American Poets and the American Poetry and Literacy Project, the anthology includes dozens of poems that appeal to readers of all ages.

The Academy of American Poets, which established National Poetry Month in 1996, was founded in 1934 to support American poets at all stages of their careers and to foster the appreciation of contemporary poetry. In addition to National Poetry Month, its programs include the Online Poetry Archive and the Poetry Audio Archive. For further information visit: www.poets.org.

The American Poetry and Literacy Project is a national nonprofit organization that promotes poetry mostly through the distribution of free and new poetry books in schools, hospitals, subway and train stations, and other public venues nationwide. For information visit: www.poet.org/page.php/prmlD/301.

DC SCORES is one of 11 city affiliates of America SCORES. In the past decade, DC SCORES has used soccer, creative writing and community service to teach the fundamentals of teamwork, leadership and commitment to more than 3,000 District of Columbia elementary and middle school students in public and charter schools. For information about the national and city programs, visit www.americascores.org.

Established in 1977 as a public-private partnership, the Center for the Book uses resources of the Library of Congress to stimulate public interest in books, reading, literacy and libraries. For information about its activities, partnership programs and forthcoming public events, visit www.loc.gov/cfbook.

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PR 06-085
04/12/06
ISSN 0731-3527

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