Rensselaerville Library Notes for Wednesday, April 20, 2022

Come read, sing, or recite a favorite poem in Rensselaerville. Join your Albany County neighbors in combating the dreariness of mud season, as well as our long “pandemic hibernation,” by celebrating spring, poetry, and this beautiful place/planet that we call home, by coming to the Rensselaerville Library’s 17th annual Favorite Poem Project on April 30.

Every April, as part of National Poetry Month, the Favorite Poem Project (begun by former Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky) brings communities together across the United States by inviting neighbors to bring their favorite poems to read (or sing) aloud in a relaxed poetry celebration.

This year’s Favorite Poem Project will take place at Conkling Hall at 8 Methodist Hill Road in Rensselaerville on Saturday, April 30, from 3 to 5 p.m. Conkling Hall is a large space with high ceilings and big windows and doors that will remain open (as long as the weather cooperates). Conkling Hall also follows current guidelines from New York State and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention concerning the wearing of masks in indoor spaces.

For more than a decade, the Favorite Poem Project in Rensselaerville has brought together adults and children of all ages to read poems that have ranged from the hilarious to the somber, from poems by children’s poet Shel Silverstein to selections from Emily Dickinson and William Blake, to poems by 20th and 21st century poets such as Tracy K. Smith, Rita Dove, Elizabeth Bishop, Robert Frost, Billy Collins, Galway Kinnell, and song lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda, as well as original poems and songs by local poets and musicians.

So, bring your favorite poem or song, or a poem or song you’ve written, and join your neighbors for a relaxing afternoon celebrating poetry. If you wish to sign up ahead of time, or have any questions, email Rensselaerville Library at mailto:info@rensselaervillelibrary.org.