THE BEST WORDS IN THEIR BEST ORDER

Coloring Outside Of The Lines

Obviously, I'm pretty psyched about the never-ending excitement that this blog has planned for National Poetry Month (I've just been able to confirm that we will be collaborating again with Quickmuse.com!), but I'd be remiss as a blogger if I didn't occasionally offer up some of the other activities going on this month.

• April 17th is New York City's 6th Poem in Your Pocket day. This coincides nicely with our week-long celebration of FSG poetry in translation, so I'll keep an eye out for politicians carrying poetry from another country.
  
• April 26th may be the first time anyone in the world has ever held a poetry cram. It's happening in Chicago at the Public Library, with the stated goal of "cram[ing] as many poets as possible into a two-hour stretch. One can only hope a representative of Featherproof Books and Bookslut.com's poetry section will be on hand.
• After the jump, my personal favorite for the best way to celebrate National Poetry Month at home...

The Only Golden Ring Time

One of the best things about last-year's Paul Muldoon ringtone is how a lot of readers weren't really sure how to take it--was it serious, or were we having fun with the idea of what poetry is? Perhaps I needed to present it with a bit more light heartedness (I knew I should have taken video of the hilarity that ensued when the ring was played for FSG employees, bloggers, and my mom).

Because the cool thing, I think, about the oxymoronic idea of a poetry ringtone is that it's playful, it's silly, and it clearly comes from a poet who takes his work seriously enough to have a little fun with it.

Which is why I'm so pleased that Robert Pinsky recorded this year's downloadable poetry ringtone. Pinsky, who has appeared on The Simpsons, The Colbert Report, and at The White House (yes, the real one), references the joy of reading aloud in this exclusive, downloadable ringtone that I expect to be all the rage .

This ringtone calls to my mind the title poem of Gulf Music, which forced me to read it aloud to myself--on the subway, no less!--with lines like

Mallah walla tella bella. Trah mah trah-la, la-la-la, Mah la belle.

Ippa Fano wanna bella, wella-wah.

Fair enough, the subject matter of Gulf Music and the idea behind this ringtone couldn't be further apart. But they're both the same in a way, they're both about listening and hearing language spoken aloud.

But enough from me--listen to Pinsky speak it for yourself, maybe download it for your April ringtone. And after the jump, some video of his latest television appearance.

More from FSG Poetry at Myxer

The Best Of Last Year

In case anyone is joining us fresh, I thought it might be helpful to list my five favorite posts from last year.

1) Henri Cole schooled us on exactly how Elizabeth Bishop should be read.
He wasn't the only one to offer audio of a Bishop poem--be sure to also check out Thom Gunn's reading of Varick Street and Robert Pinsky reading At the Fishhouses.

2) Seamus Heaney read poetry by Ted Hughes.
Trying to put this into context for one of my friends, I was actually heard to say 'This is like getting to hear The Rolling Stones covering James Brown.' (I'll trust that everyone here knows what I meant.)

3) Associate publisher of FSG Linda Rosenberg weighed in on two of my favorite poets: Thom Gunn and August Kleinzahler. Her words on re-issuing The Man With The Night Sweats:

...it's our hope that our volumes—most with new introductions by poets of today—will make it easier for new readers and old to find their way into these extraordinary books. Due to the unique power of the form, most of these works seem to acquire an even greater resonance as time passes. It may just be that the impact of deeply felt, finely wrought language is even more intense in a less literate age.

4) Frederick Seidel in what looks like a most enjoyable night on the town.
The reading of 'The Owl You Heard' isn't too shabby, but the thought of running into Seidel in a photo booth is what makes me smile.

5) The first-ever FSG vs Knopf literary smackdown
Quickmuse.com came to town to pit Pulitzer Prize-winner Paul Muldoon against Knopf's Brad Leithauser in a spur of the moment poem-composing competition. Debut poet Eliza Griswold opened the event.

After the jump, one more bonus moment!

We're Back For 2008

Welcome back!

I'm so thrilled you decided to stop by Farrar, Straus and Giroux's National Poetry Month blog. And on the first day of April no less: you are a smart person.

Because as you learned last year, like spring, or poets, FSG's poetry month blog doesn't last forever--it runs just for 30 days, the length of National Poetry Month. True, it's barely long enough for me to scratch the surface of all the great poets FSG has on its roster. It's best if you think of this as more of a personal challenge to yourself. I'll provide you with a little taste of the offerings on tap, but it's up to you to go to the store, buy the books, and continue your appreciation of poetry for the rest of the year.

To make sure you keep coming back, here's a little preview of what I have upcoming this month.

• Of course, we had to bring you a new ringtone, recorded just for you by one of FSG's most illustrious poets;
• More audio of some of greatest poets, including a long-time FSGer who somehow managed to escape recording for us last year, even though he had a new book out;
• A whole week devoted exclusively to poetry in translation;
  
• All-new downloadable posters (guaranteed to brighten up even the saddest cubicle), guest bloggers, and giveaways.

Be sure to add us to your RSS feed, if you haven't already, and be sure to check out the totally sweet widget you can add to your blog, myspace, or facebook account to be the coolest grad student at the mixer.

Thanks again for reading! Be sure to visit later today for a round-up of last year's highlights.