In her blog post, Pam Allyn writes, “Poetry is how we say to the world, and to each other, ‘I am here.’ Some of my most beloved poets — Walt Whitman, Langston Hughes, Billy Collins and Naomi Shihab Nye — talk about poetry as a way to document the world and our common experiences, to say what needs to be said in a direct, powerful and beautiful way.”

This week in discussion, I’d like us to explore this question: What is the importance of poetry?

Some questions you might consider include why does poetry matter? What are the different functions of poetry? What makes a poem “good”? Who are some of your favorite poets or what are some of your favorite poems? How is poetry different from other forms of literature? That is, you could read or write a newspaper article, short story, or poem focusing on a particular event or experience and each would capture something different; what is that difference? These are just some of the many questions you could consider and discuss about the importance of poetry. Develop your response considering various aspects of the question, incorporating at least two outside sources, and expressing your own opinions and experiences. Your initial response should be at least 250 words.

Allyn, P. (2014, April 21). Why poetry matters. [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://www.huffingtonpost.com/pam-allyn/why-poetr…