April is National Poetry Month, a celebration of the literary art form that — for many of us — filled our notebooks in high school, but has largely been absent from our everyday lives since. It’s not that we don’t like poetry, it’s that we’re mostly pretty terrible at it and after a few years of trying to shove clunky metaphors into iambic pentameter, we thought it best to let that caged bird sing some other way. Like on a bathroom wall at the Landing. But there are those among us who have a pretty good handle on verses, allegories and anapests — and this month is for them. Pandora’s Box Poetry Showcase and The Wild Detectives join forces to recognize and celebrate the cultural importance of American poetry with a reading from award-winning poet Cyrus Cassells at 7:30 p.m.Thursday. Cassells manipulates words and turns phrases like nobody’s business, making him a potent example of the power of verse. Catch his performance at The Wild Detectives, 314 West 8th St., and visit pandorasboxpoetry.com for more information.
Thu., April 23, 8 p.m., 2015