It’s still April, which means it’s still Poetry Month. (Yay for that!) 

There’s something powerful about hearing an author reading their own work, especially with poetry. Where do they stop and start? What words do they emphasize? It adds something extra (at least for that particular moment). 

If you like to listen, the Library of Congress has a comprehensive list of audio recordings of poets reading their own poems. 

They contain both external and internal audio resources, including the Library of Congress’ Archive of Recorded Poetry and Literature Collection. 

You can listen to Derek Walcott, Audre Lorde, Margaret Atwood, and even Ray Bradbury read and discuss their own poetry, among many others, and even poetry lectures and discussions. 

I love Allen Ginsberg, and the Academy of American Poets has a video of him reading one of my favorite poems of his: “”A Supermarket in California.” He’s reading it from his apartment. How appropriate for the current times (although we hope not to see whole families shopping at night nowadays, as in the poem).  

For the text and audio (no video), check out their poem page for “A Supermarket in California.” 

Can you find one of your favorite poems or poets? Feel free to share with us at library@durhamtech.edu. 

Have you seen our Poetry Month Virtual Crafternoon about creating your own blackout poem?

Check out the Library’s Playlist on Durham Tech’s YouTube channel and be sure to follow or check back for additional Virtual Crafternoons.