April 1: National Poetry Month
To celebrate, I decided to buy some poetry at my local indie bookstore this week. For the record, I'm not one of those readers who only notices poetry 30 days a year. In fact, I've probably said some bad and cynical things in the past about NPM and April-only poetry readers. I'm not a poet, so I can get away with it.
I've also said some cynical things about poets who ask friends and colleagues for complimentary copies instead of buying poetry books. I may have even suggested once or twice that poetry sales in this country would skyrocket if there were a decline in this retail six-degrees-of-poetic-separation, ever-downward non-sales trend. Maybe I'm sorry about saying that. Maybe not.
In my office, I have shelves and shelves of poetry books. Quite often I open and read them, even in months that do not begin with A. But this week I thought it would be good karma to perform a ritual poetry buy. In the bookshop, I spent more than an hour scanning narrow spines, occasionally pulling a title and reading a few poems.
I don't know how your National Poetry Month is going thus far, but mine started with the acquisition of three books I just met and am getting to know better. That will take time, but I'm looking forward to it. 
One collection I chose was The Heaven-Sent Leaf by Katy Lederer (BOA Editions, $16, 9781934414156/1934414158), and I can tell you the primary reason why it now belongs to me. I picked it after reading four lines in a poem titled "Brainworker" on page 37:
An echo, she sits upright, straight.
As if to play the lettered keys.
But these are typist's hands, her hands.
To play her heart, to play her brain, to play her silvery eyes.
I also bought The Ecco Anthology of International Poetry (Ecco, $19.99, 9780061583247/0061583243) because I read about it on the Words Without Borders website and have known for a while that it would be mine someday. Now it is. I can open this volume at random and explore. It is not a book I would ever read cover to cover. It's not made for that. I retain the option of surprise. This happened when the book fell open to Wislawa Szymborska's "The Joy of Writing," which ends:
The joy of writing.
A chance to make things stay.
A revenge of a mortal hand.
April 4: Baseball
This Sunday night the Major League baseball season opens with a Yankees-Red Sox game. Charles North's Complete Lineups (Hanging Loose Press, $18, 9781934909034/1934909033) was the third poetry collection I found and I couldn't resist its charms. This is a collection lineup cards--the names of starters for imaginary teams, listed by position and in their batting order. Many date back to 1972. Some are newer.
The lineups North assembles, taking into account variables like speed for a lead-off hitter and power in the number four spot, make this baseball/poetry hybrid entertaining and surprisingly provocative. For example, here's the starting lineup poem for movies:
1. A Day at the Races rf
2. The Maltese Falcon lf
3. Rules of the Game 3b
4. Children of Paradise cf
5. On the Waterfront 1b
6. The Lady Vanishes ss
7. The Baker's Wife 2b
8. Odd Man Out c
9. Masculine Feminine p
Play ball!
April 7: AWP Annual Conference & Bookfair
Next Wednesday, I'll be in Denver for Opening Day of the Association of Writers & Writing Programs conference and bookfair. This is an event quite unlike most of the trade shows I attend during the year. I have mixed emotions about it, but generally enjoy myself.
Although there will be headliners like keynote speaker Michael Chabon, one of the fascinating things about the AWP conference is the prominent role played by poets. Among this year's featured readers are Rita Dove, Kimiko Hahn, Marie Ponsot, Kevin Young, Robert Hass and many, many more. Poets matter here.
Known and unknown poets will congregate in hotel lobbies, bars and conference rooms during AWP 2010. At the bookfair, poets and small indie presses will be noticed by attendees in ways unimaginable at BEA. Poetry books sell at AWP, and the fact that it's National Poetry Month is coincidental to the transactions rather than a catalyst.
I'll probably buy more poetry in Denver next week. And the Colorado Rockies open their home season Friday.--Robert Gray (column archives available at Fresh Eyes Now)