April is National Poetry Month, and there’s so much to explore at your library!
- Browse: Poetry books for all ages
- View: A special display in the Main Library Idea Box
- Attend: Upcoming events
Poetry books for all ages
Whether you love poetry or are looking to try something new, we hope you’ll find a new favorite poem (or two!) in these lists of new titles for all ages, curated by your Oak Park librarians.
Looking for more? Check out digital poetry titles on Hoopla »
OPRFHS graduates & poets featured in Idea Box display
This National Poetry Month, four Oak Parkers who have made their mark on poetry both locally and nationally will be featured from April 12 to 30 on the Main Library Idea Box windows.
- Kara Jackson: National Youth Poet Laureate.
- Dan “Sully” Sullivan: whose poems and performances have been featured on HBO Def Poetry Jam, WGN Morning News, and National Public Radio.
- Peter Kahn: founding member of the London poetry collective Malika’s Kitchen and co-founder of the London Teenage Poetry Slam.
- Charles Simic: the 1990 Pulitzer Prize, a MacArthur Foundation “genius grant,” the Griffin International Poetry Prize, the Wallace Stevens Award, and U.S. poet laureate.
Attend upcoming events
Shakespeare Movie Fest
Tuesdays, 2-4:30 pm, Main Library
Join in a celebration of Shakespeare's work at this weekly film series. Each week will feature a different film based on a Shakespeare play. Come to all or any of the series:
- April 2: Romeo & Juliet
- April 9: Henry V
- April 16: Othello
- April 23: Macbeth
- April 30: Coriolanus
Latine Author Book Cafe: Plantains & Our Becoming
Tuesday, April 9, 6-7 pm, Main Library
Join us on the second Tuesday of each month as we discuss works written by Latine authors. Spanish language copies will be made available when possible.
In this imaginative, blistering poetry collection, poet and musician Melania Luisa Marte looks at the identities and histories of the Dominican Republic and Haiti to celebrate and center the Black diasporic experience. Through the exploration of themes like self-love, nationalism, displacement, generational trauma, and ancestral knowledge, this collection uproots stereotypes while creating a new joyous vision for Black identity and personhood. Register now »
VIRTUAL: Writers Word Feast
Friday, April 12, 3-4 pm, virtual on Zoom
Bring your words and words yet to be written to this writers' group for writers of all types and genre. Each writer will get a chance to read their story, poem, or novel chapter and receive feedback from the group. Then we will spend some time writing! Register now »
International Poetry Series: South American Poetry
Saturday, April 20, 12:30-2 pm, Main Library
Explore modern and contemporary South American poets, in this survey of poetry around the world. In subsequent sessions, we will read Asian and Middle Eastern poets. Register now »
Shakespeare Fest
Sunday, April 28, 1-4 pm, Maze Branch
Celebrate all things Shakespeare with an Open Mic, Elizabethan costume contest, and crafts! Register now »
