Each April the Academy of American Poets recognizes National Poetry Month as a way to increase awareness of and appreciation for poetry in the United States. Western Kentucky University Poet Laureate, Dr. Mary Ellen Miller, believes that anyone can learn to appreciate poetry.
"I think a lot of people have been taught to like the wrong kind of poetry or they’ve been taught good poetry the wrong way.”
Miller said a good poem touches the head and the heart.
"A poem says something fresh. It’s something that’s human and real and that gladdens the heart of people who can understand it,” said Miller.
Miller said two of her favorite poems of the modern era are "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" by T.S. Eliot and "Sailing to Bzyantium" by William Butler Yeats.
She said appreciation of poetry has grown thanks to social media and the ability for people to experience a poet reading aloud their work. National poetry month runs through April 30.
