Poetry Month
In a continuing effort to farm out my work so that I have more time to read books so that I can tell you all about the ones I particularly like (and sometimes ones that I am just mildly fond of, but think that someone else might like a lot) I have embraced the "guest writer" concept. Herein, some other book-ish Olsson's person waxes. It's not that I have nothing to say this week, in fact I have plenty; it's just that I'd like to finish a couple of books for once.
Today, Alex Beguin of our Old Town Alexandria store will be filling in for me and talking all about the happy convergence of his love for poetry and National Poetry Month. Not that this is really the time to brag, but I can still recite the first 12 lines of The Canterbury Tales that I had to memorize for English class in 10th grade. Though you might not think it, this comes up with some frequency... at least once a year. It's really a great party trick, much like my dead-on reading of Robert Burns' To a Louse - On Seeing One On A Lady's Bonnet, At Church, which, incidentally, I recited (sadly, not by memory) to my Samuel Johnson (and the Long 18th Century) class in college.
All right, all right, before I really start scraping the bottom of my poetic barrel... Take it away, Alex:
Hi everybody. My name is Alex Beguin and I am the Store Manager/Book Buyer at Olsson's Old Town-Alexandria. I've been with Olsson's for five years and you may have seen me at the Courthouse-Arlington store and the former Bethesda location. I've met some wonderful customers and staff over the years and have enjoyed the sense of community at our stores. Old Town is especially nice with the waterfront, the historic neighborhood, and the dog-friendly atmosphere.
April has always been an exciting month at the Olsson's in Old Town because people are coming out of their winter hibernation and enjoying spring weather, the water, and all the blossoms popping up in the neighboring parks. To add to the excitement we love participating in literary celebrations. And one particularly close to my heart occurs all month long.
In April 1996, The Academy of American Poets designted April as National Poetry Month to encourage a national celebration of poetry. Since then, various organizations, people, and booksellers have participated and made poetry more available and accesible to everyone.
As part of the celebration, Olsson's welcomes customers to read their favorite poems or originals at our Old Town location every Thursday night in April. Last year, the readings were a great success and brought excitement and some notable authors to the store, particularly, Pulitzer Prize winning poet Claudia Emerson. Our new cafe, River's Bend, will be open during the readings, so customers can enjoy a coffee, delicious sandwich, or fresh baked cookie while listening to some inspired words.
One of my favorite poets of all time is e.e. cummings. In college, my friend included a piece of his poem "you shall above all things be glad and young" in a birthday card. Although I had known of cummings work, it was this particular poem that compelled me to buy "Selected Poems." The particular themes of his poems touch upon love and spring, which is a perfect read for this time of year.
Some other favorites include Mary Oliver's "New and Selected Poems Vol. 2," Billy Collins' "Trouble with Poetry," Claudia Emerson's "Late Wife," and Joshua Poteat's "Ornithologies." Please come by and enjoy our celebration of poetry.
As an added bonus, all poetry books are on sale 15% OFF for the entire month.
Today, Alex Beguin of our Old Town Alexandria store will be filling in for me and talking all about the happy convergence of his love for poetry and National Poetry Month. Not that this is really the time to brag, but I can still recite the first 12 lines of The Canterbury Tales that I had to memorize for English class in 10th grade. Though you might not think it, this comes up with some frequency... at least once a year. It's really a great party trick, much like my dead-on reading of Robert Burns' To a Louse - On Seeing One On A Lady's Bonnet, At Church, which, incidentally, I recited (sadly, not by memory) to my Samuel Johnson (and the Long 18th Century) class in college.
All right, all right, before I really start scraping the bottom of my poetic barrel... Take it away, Alex:
Hi everybody. My name is Alex Beguin and I am the Store Manager/Book Buyer at Olsson's Old Town-Alexandria. I've been with Olsson's for five years and you may have seen me at the Courthouse-Arlington store and the former Bethesda location. I've met some wonderful customers and staff over the years and have enjoyed the sense of community at our stores. Old Town is especially nice with the waterfront, the historic neighborhood, and the dog-friendly atmosphere.April has always been an exciting month at the Olsson's in Old Town because people are coming out of their winter hibernation and enjoying spring weather, the water, and all the blossoms popping up in the neighboring parks. To add to the excitement we love participating in literary celebrations. And one particularly close to my heart occurs all month long.
In April 1996, The Academy of American Poets designted April as National Poetry Month to encourage a national celebration of poetry. Since then, various organizations, people, and booksellers have participated and made poetry more available and accesible to everyone.
As part of the celebration, Olsson's welcomes customers to read their favorite poems or originals at our Old Town location every Thursday night in April. Last year, the readings were a great success and brought excitement and some notable authors to the store, particularly, Pulitzer Prize winning poet Claudia Emerson. Our new cafe, River's Bend, will be open during the readings, so customers can enjoy a coffee, delicious sandwich, or fresh baked cookie while listening to some inspired words.
One of my favorite poets of all time is e.e. cummings. In college, my friend included a piece of his poem "you shall above all things be glad and young" in a birthday card. Although I had known of cummings work, it was this particular poem that compelled me to buy "Selected Poems." The particular themes of his poems touch upon love and spring, which is a perfect read for this time of year.
Some other favorites include Mary Oliver's "New and Selected Poems Vol. 2," Billy Collins' "Trouble with Poetry," Claudia Emerson's "Late Wife," and Joshua Poteat's "Ornithologies." Please come by and enjoy our celebration of poetry.
As an added bonus, all poetry books are on sale 15% OFF for the entire month.
2 Comments:
Fabulous, Alex! Your pic is adorable. And I really need to read Claudia Emerson's work, being that I knew her husband and she's a MWC prof. I'll definitely be there to buy a book or two soon!
Alex, I'm already ready to read more poetry after reading your reminder of how much I adore it. Grading papers and editing yearbook spreads often eat away my desire to read as much as I should. I'll turn over a new leaf for the spring. Thanks!
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