Celebrate National Poetry Month with Usurper Kings
Read, Share, Create, and Discover Poetry with WADY this April!
April marks the annual celebration of National Poetry Month - a time to honor the beauty and power of poetic expression. This year holds special significance as we commemorate the 10th anniversary of Sapha Burnell's poetry collection, “Usurper Kings”!
National Poetry Month kicks off every April 1st, bringing together poets, readers, students, teachers, librarians, booksellers, event curators, publishers, families, and poetry lovers. Introduced in 1996 and organized by the Academy of American Poets, this monthlong event highlights poetry's vital role in our culture. It encourages the reading poems, integrating poetry into classrooms, increasing media attention, promoting poetry books, and supporting poets themselves.
Over the years, it has grown into a worldwide phenomenon, attracting millions of people with the power of verse. The Academy remains at the center, providing educational resources, an annual celebratory poster designed by a renowned artist, "Poem in Your Pocket Day" to share poetry, and listings of local poetry events nationwide.
So how can you get involved in National Poetry Month?
Write a Poem: Challenge yourself to craft any style - haiku, limerick, sonnet!
Memorize Lines: Commit a cherished poem's words to heart and mind.
Visit Your Local Library: See what National Poetry Month events they're hosting to attend.
Support Poets: Check out poetry collections like Sapha Burnell's “Usurper Kings”!
Released in 2014, “Usurper Kings” unleashed a torrent of visceral poems that shattered traditional notions of language, form, and expression. Stanzas unfurl in jagged shards, compositions that coalesce into stunning lucid imagery and jolting truths.
At its core, the collection serves as urgent commentary on the feminine experience's often-suppressed narratives, immersing readers in the deeply-rooted anguish and discomforts intimately known by those existing outside the mainstream.
Burnell's unflinching writing style pulls no punches as they wield verse to rip apart the façades of modern society. Usurper Kings interrogates constructs like gender, sexuality, race, and class through the lens of those existing outside the mainstream. It challenges us to recognize how power is often usurped by those undeserving through privilege, institutional biases, and unjust hierarchies. This provocative deconstruction exposes harsh truths but also envisions a more equitable future.
“Usurper Kings” also contains beauty, tenderness, and moments of radiant optimism amidst the chaos. Pieces like "Planetfall" contain harsh realities of warfare, survival, and societal upheaval, while simultaneously exploring tender moments of respite, nurturing new life, resilience in the face of adversity, and the defiant optimism of forging one's own way forward.
By exploring work like “Usurper Kings” this April, we reflect on how poetry reinvents itself as a vital means of expression and societal critique.
Hallelujah.
Bloody holy water.
God salts fall down the slow Madonna.
Mary Magdalene in potentia.
-Poseidon, The Helen of Troy Cycle, “Usurper Kings” by Sapha Burnell
As we honor National Poetry Month and the 10th anniversary of “Usurper Kings” by Sapha Burnell, join us in celebrating this milestone by reading, sharing, and creating poetry that stirs your soul. For further insights into National Poetry Month and the works of Sapha Burnell, consider exploring these resources:
Article: 9 Must See TED Talks for Poetry Month | WeAreTeachers
Database: National Poetry Month Recommended Reading | NYU Library
