More word-related news on April: it’s also National Poetry Month. Here’s a link to frequently asked questions about National Poetry Month. I’ll provide a quick summary as well. It was founded in 1996 by the Academy of American Poets, and the purpose is to take time to recognize, celebrate, and enjoy poetry in all sorts of ways. The site features lists of tips and lesson plans for teaching poetry this month. It’s also possible to celebrate with the Academy throughout the year via their free daily poetry emails.

I’m not going to lie. One of the main reasons I wanted to mention National Poetry Month was as an excuse to link to this soliloquy.

Questioning the meaning of life has never sounded so adorable.

Poetic forms are also relevant in the context of this project as they may be employed in the dissemination of usage information. I think the Alphabet of Errors is a neat example of this: usage advice in rhyming couplets. I’m curious about the extent to which usage advice is conveyed – particularly to young people – using poetic forms. In some cases, perhaps it is merely the rhyme scheme, rather than the personal opinions of the author, which determines how usage information is presented.