Hudson Valley Poetry Groups to Mark Poetry Month

Before April of 2020, I never even realized there was such a thing as a "Poetry Month."

Over the course of the pandemic, I spoke with people who had returned to journaling, writing and creating with words. Maybe it was a way spend more time indoors away from other people? Maybe it was just something you found yourself doing to center yourself and cope with not being able to do anything that could have previously been considered your "normal."

Then when I spent time thinking about how April is National Poetry Month and how at the inauguration of President Biden the Youth Poet Laureate, Amanda Gorman, absolutely made people take notice of not only of her amazing accomplishments but also of the written word. That talented wordsmith, has three books (according to her website) forthcoming with Penguin Random House Publishing.

So what is stopping any one of us? Write, share with the world what you have written. Don't think that it is good enough? Reach out to classes or groups in our area for feedback and help.

Here are a few places (after doing some research) that have writers groups or poetry groups here in the Hudson Valley:

• The Writers Studio, Hudson Valley
• Calling All Poets, based in Ulster County
• Hudson Valley Writers Center, based in Sleepy Hollow is doing classes and groups via Zoom
• Hudson Valley Writers Guild 

These are just a few of the places you could refine your craft or share with others. If there is a writers workshop or poetry workshop that you think we should add, let us know. In the mean time, keep writing. Make every month, poetry month or writers month.