NPR brings an interesting angle to the current economic discussion. Noting that while publishing is in a tailspin, poetry publishing is relatively sheltered, being used to living on scraps. So next time your parents flip out that you live on ramen noodles and scribble words on scraps of paper, you can gently remind them that they’ll be joining you soon enough.

The above site also provides a link to a Planet Money Haiku contest. I think my favorite is the following:

Technical writer
Moved to the Haiku Department —
Still paid by the word.
–Thomas Lanaghan

The site has been quiet recently – lots going on. But we certainly couldn’t let National Poetry Month pass us by. Since April has been so named it gives news organizations license to run their “special interest” pieces. We certainly could never hope (nor wish) to link to all of them, but you will find a few. And if over the course of the month you come across particular sites or stories of interest, please share them. Now read on for assorted and sundry links!

• Poem in Your Pocket Day. About what it sounds like. On April 30th various organizations encourage you to carry a poem in your pocket – share it with your friends. I think the most famous example of someone carrying a poem in his (or her) pocket was Percy Shelley – supposedly he had Keats’ poetry in his shirt pocket on the day Shelley drowned. So, there’s that (link courtesy of nataline).
• So Thursday (4/23) is Shakespeare’s birthday. Cool. Apparently people are encouraging Talk Like Shakespeare Day to celebrate this. p.otw.org will not be participating.
• NPR has been doing a number of poetry stories recently (no doubt tied to NaPoMo). Here’s one that discusses performing Wendell Berry’s work. Wish we could have seen the performance.
• And unrelated to anything at all – faithful reader johnlos alerts us to the existence of the Whittier College Poets. As he notes in his email, “Whittier College is probably most famous for being where Richard Nixon went to undergrad. For some reason their athletics aren’t very well known…” Alas.

Against all odds, the feature returns. This will be playing a bit of catch-up, touching on some stories over the past couple of weeks.

• On January 27 John Updike passed away. He was best known for his prose work (books like Rabbit, Run), but was also a well-regarded poet. Much has been written about him, but this obituary from the New York times was particularly well-written and thoughtful.
• The Times also printed a poem from his forthcoming collection:
  

  Requiem

  It came to me the other day:
  Were I to die, no one would say,
  “Oh, what a shame! So young, so full
  Of promise — depths unplumbable!”

  Instead, a shrug and tearless eyes
  Will greet my overdue demise;
  The wide response will be, I know,
  “I thought he died a while ago.”

  For life’s a shabby subterfuge,
  And death is real, and dark, and huge.
  The shock of it will register
  Nowhere but where it will occur.

  — JOHN UPDIKE

• The North Carolina Literary Festival website has finally been launched. It will be hosted by UNC-Chapel Hill from September 10-13 2009. More as it develops.
• A little slam poetry about Barack and Michelle Obama’s imagined first date. Make of it as you will. (link courtesy of nataline).
• Continuing with poetry slam, NPR features four poets and their writings about love. We here at potw.org may have missed Valentine’s Day by a few days, but you can still check it out. The link includes text and readings.