Did you know that April is National Poetry Month? Inaugurated in 1996 by the Academy of American Poets, National Poetry Month is touted as “the largest literary celebration in the world.”
Writers, teachers and librarians throughout the United States band together to celebrate poetry and its vital place in American culture. For the organization’s annual event this month, luminaries in the creative arts (the 2015 list includes choreographer Judith Jamison, songwriter Sam Beam, actor Holly Hunter and chef Anita Lo) will gather in New York City to share their favorite poems at a gala reading called Poetry & the Creative Mind.
A new generation of poets is emerging with passion, intelligence, honesty, creativity and power.
When it comes to empowering unheard voices, a new generation of poets is emerging with passion, intelligence, honesty, creativity and power. Here’s an original piece that will blow you away, written by two young poets who were raised to see each other with hate and disdain. (The pair performed it at the Brave New Voices finals for the International Poetry Slam Festival.) No censoring or holding back here. Watch the video, and let me know how this makes you feel – uncomfortable, anxious, angry, optimistic, hopeful?
Rabbi Irwin Kula is a 7th generation rabbi and a disruptive spiritual innovator. A rogue thinker, author of the award-winning book, Yearnings: Embracing the Sacred Messiness of Life, and President-Emeritus of Clal – The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership, he works at the intersection of religion, innovation, and human flourishing. A popular commentator in both new and traditional media, he is co-founder with Craig Hatkoff and the late Professor Clay Christensen of The Disruptor Foundation whose mission is to advance disruptive innovation theory and its application in societal critical domains. He serves as a consultant to a wide range of foundations, organizations, think tanks, and businesses and is on the leadership team of Coburn Ventures, where he offers uncommon inputs on cultural and societal change to institutional investors across sectors and companies worldwide.