Did you know that National Poetry Month is celebrated each year in April? Inspired by Black History Month and Women’s History Month, it was created to increase awareness and appreciation for the art form.  Since 1996, it is the largest event in the world for poets who are on the pulse of modern culture.

The TEDxPeachtree stage has had its fair share of poets over our seven-year history but before we introduce you to them, and if you’re not convinced that poetry is vital to our lives, here’s a persuasive talk given at TED2013 by Stephen Burt on why we need poetry. Being a “word person” Burt was always on the hunt for answers to his “how” and his “why?”  He says we need poetry because it helps us to celebrate, to live and to say goodbye when we need to and that it provides an inner strength we would not be able to perceive on our own. Do you agree?

Local poet and executive officer of the Dragon Con science track Rachel Pendergrass wrote a wonderful sonnet to sum up TEDxPeachtree 2013. Watch if you missed that edition or relive it through her words.

In 2011, Daniel Weingarten shares his love for poetry by explaining how his life we all shape our life experiences with the art form.  He reminds us that innovation includes us all — writers, artists, speakers.  No matter what we touch or where our words go, we are bound to shed light.

Finally, just last year, we welcomed a most unusual poet to our stage. M. Ayodele Heath is an accomplished poet but he also wanted to share in the creative process with others and so he created a vehicle called Electronic Corpse which uses Facebook as a platform to allow people all over the world to contribute to a poem in progress one line at a time. Watch his fascinating illustration of how a poem unfolds.

Poets help us gain perspective and categorize our emotions creatively.  It unleashes unconscious connections within our thinking.  Poetry is needed in the creative space because oftentimes we need those barriers to come down before anything else can take place.

We have a call for speakers out now for those who can give us the same introspective views for 2015.   We are looking for storytellers regardless of forms of expressions: poem, dance, beatboxing, rapping, performance art, etc. who can strengthen the landscape of communicators, creating a “Ripple” effect and contributing to a community of thinkers.  

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Kelly Raye is an Author, TransMEDIA and PR Professional. In 2008, her book “A Divine Revelation of Hip Hop” was featured in the New Author Showcase at the London Book Fair.  She loves to read, write, meet new people and travel.

https://about.me/kellyraye