Here at the BYU Bookstore we plan to celebrate Poetry Month in April!
We will be doing many in-store activities, including an open mic night.
For those who can't come in to join us we will have staff, students, and guest writers share their favorite poems this upcoming month as well as creative ways to celebrate poetry on this blog.
So even if we can't all celebrate in one place, we hope you will be as excited as we are to celebrate Poetry Month collectively!
"He who draws noble delights from sentiments of poetry is a true poet, though he has never written a line in all his life." -George Sand, 1851
Happy Birthday Robert Frost!
On this day 138 years ago, Robert Frost was born.
As soon as I hear Robert Frost's name, the specific lines from his most famous poem "The Road Not Taken" come to my mind,
"two roads diverged in a wood, and I—I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference."
My initial reaction to this poem is to ponder on my life and the decisions I've made, how I believe I have chosen a path "less traveled by," and how it's made all the difference in my life.
But when this poem gets a closer look, rather than just drawing a conclusion from the final stanza, it's clear that Frost doesn't imply that there's a way in life that is better and deviates us from the ordinary life.
Instead Frost is simply stating that there are always points where we have to make one decision and let go of the other. Though they are different, one is not necessarily better. In stanza two he says, "Then took the other, as just as fair...Though as for that, the passing there / Had worn them really about the same."
Frost is contemplative on how different his life would have been if he chose another path instead of stating that he's proud of the road he chose. He's more reflective and questioning his original decision. Though it changed his entire life and "made all the difference," he contemplates how the other path could have "made all the difference."
Either way, we wish Robert Frost a happy birthday!
And that has made all the difference."
My initial reaction to this poem is to ponder on my life and the decisions I've made, how I believe I have chosen a path "less traveled by," and how it's made all the difference in my life.
But when this poem gets a closer look, rather than just drawing a conclusion from the final stanza, it's clear that Frost doesn't imply that there's a way in life that is better and deviates us from the ordinary life.
Instead Frost is simply stating that there are always points where we have to make one decision and let go of the other. Though they are different, one is not necessarily better. In stanza two he says, "Then took the other, as just as fair...Though as for that, the passing there / Had worn them really about the same."
Frost is contemplative on how different his life would have been if he chose another path instead of stating that he's proud of the road he chose. He's more reflective and questioning his original decision. Though it changed his entire life and "made all the difference," he contemplates how the other path could have "made all the difference."
Either way, we wish Robert Frost a happy birthday!
Do you ever wonder how different life would be if you made a different choice earlier on in your life? Do you think it would have been for better or for worse?
Find Robert Frost's poems at the BYU Bookstore in general books.
The Hunger Games: A Book Designed for the Big Screen
March 23, 2012.
At midnight
millions will crowd theaters for the opening of The Hunger Games.
Published just
four years ago, Suzanne Collins wrote this thrilling book and it seemed
inevitable that it was designed and destined for the big screen.
The reasoning for
this?
Before Suzanne
Collins wrote The Hunger Games,
she worked in screenplay for children's television since 1991. Some of her
previous work involved some stories for Little
Bear, Clifford’s Puppy Years and Oswald.
She began to shift
to teenage novels and wrote The Underland Chronicles but The Hunger Games is her
first publicly-acclaimed work since screenplay.
It seems that Collins has a niche for holding an audience’s attention
in this novel with the following:
·
The
book contains a consistent amount of action and romance.
·
It
has just enough details so it intrigues the reader but doesn't slow down.
·
The plot
goes fast.
·
A subject
concerns media and an out-of-this-world dystopian society.
Its proof of
success:
·
It’s
been a major hit in bookstores (that’s probably a no-brainer).
·
Rotten
Tomatoes gave it a 91% rating with a 98% want-to-see rating.
·
New York
Times raved that the movie as a "Must-See Fever."
·
Deadline.com
states that over a million pre-sale tickets have been sold.
Suzanne Collins assisted in writing the screenplay for the film. Perhaps
her contribution in screenplay will make a huge difference because the themes
in the book will carry through the movie. Often those who read a book that
becomes a movie claim they think the book is better because it has more
details, more depth and a greater personal value than the movie.
Perhaps Suzanne Collins’ themes of human nature and political
criticisms will carry through the movie because she understands how movies
work, but then again maybe it will simply translate to a great action movie.
What we know for sure is that this movie is the big talk of the
month and something that shouldn’t be missed.
What do you think? Do you think the book will still be better than
the movie? Will the themes carry through? Did Suzanne Collins launch a career
in writing compelling teenage literature or making good movies?
The Very Hungry Caterpillar Day
March 20th marks the 40th anniversary of Eric Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar.
Published in 1969, this Eric-Carle classic continues to touch new generations of children, one after another, with his captivating art and his timeless stories. To have more fun on this special day, there are many ways you can celebrate The Very Hungry Caterpillar Day, here are just a few suggestions:
Reading holidays are wonderful chances to reminisce and remember the valuable children's literature we used to read and cherish. I know I will stop by and look at a copy of The Very Hungry Caterpillar as I start my day at work tomorrow at the BYU Bookstore. Thank you Eric Carle for continually producing wonderful art in your books and Happy 40th Anniversary to one of your most memorable masterpieces!
-Hillary
Obtain a copy of The Very Hungry Caterpillar at the BYU Bookstore's website.
Published in 1969, this Eric-Carle classic continues to touch new generations of children, one after another, with his captivating art and his timeless stories. To have more fun on this special day, there are many ways you can celebrate The Very Hungry Caterpillar Day, here are just a few suggestions:
- Go to a bookstore or the library, get the book, and read it to your children (or nieces and nephew, or to yourself)
- Check out Penguin Group Books' Hungry Caterpillar activity book
- Pull out some paper like Eric Carle and start painting your own caterpillar
- Watch this video about Eric Carle's making of the book (via Penguin Books):
Reading holidays are wonderful chances to reminisce and remember the valuable children's literature we used to read and cherish. I know I will stop by and look at a copy of The Very Hungry Caterpillar as I start my day at work tomorrow at the BYU Bookstore. Thank you Eric Carle for continually producing wonderful art in your books and Happy 40th Anniversary to one of your most memorable masterpieces!
-Hillary
Obtain a copy of The Very Hungry Caterpillar at the BYU Bookstore's website.
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