Time keeps on slipping (slipping, slipping) into the future … and here it is April again. Not only the cruelest month, it’s also National Poetry Month. Why April? Why do we need a poetry month? Because they said so. I’m not one to argue, and hey, I do love me some poetry. But you may be asking yourself — how does one go about celebrating such a thing? Well, maybe you’d like to write a poem or two. Or one every day? Not into writing your own? Not to worry, I hear there are a LOT of poems out there just waiting for your attention. Listening to a Poem a Day podcast might be a good idea. If you’re not willing to put down the Wilco for poetry, you can always just enjoy poetry the old fashioned way … by reading any number of free email newsletters that will deliver poetry right to your inbox each day this month. Or perhaps this is the perfect time to catch up with a laureate of your choosing. You may just want to tell National Poetry Month to take a hike and boycott the whole thing. If so, Charles Bernstein is ready to help you on over to the dark side.

These suggestions are really just to get you started. Once you’ve tapped into your poetic festive mood, you’ll probably also want to incorporate some togas, malt liquor and fireworks. As if that weren’t enough, I’ll be offering up one poetry-related tidbit a day to keep the party jumping. So pace yourselves … and enjoy responsibly.