Ode to Poets House

When I was in college, there was a class known—by students—as Physics for Poets. The idea was that some of us aren’t inclined toward science, and needed to be spoken to about it in a different manner. But what about Poetry for Physicists? It’s not as if poetry comes naturally to everyone.

I happen to love a good poem, but even I’m intimidated a little by Poets House, at least in theory. I don’t write poetry, and I don’t claim to understand much of the poetry in Poetry magazine. (Why, yes, I do subscribe, in good part because I love how smart I look when I read it on the subway.) But the facility, to use an overly clinical word, has a lot to offer, even if you don’t know the difference between a sonnet and a limerick (one tends to be about love while the other is often about sex, just FYI). And I’m not even talking about the cultural programming, which strikes me as aimed more at people already engaged with the poerty world. So what am I talking about?

1. I can’t think of a lovelier quiet place in greater Tribeca to sit and read or do work. The new Battery Park City Library is great, but it’s also popular with kids. While Poets House has kids’ programming—more on that in a minute—the rugrats munchkins are generally sequestered in their own area, downstairs. Poets House has sofas, chairs, and tables in front of large windows overlooking Rockefeller Park. And if it’s not calm enough for you, there’s also a “quiet reading room.” Plus: The wi-fi is freee and you’re allowed to eat and drink.

2. Poets House is free, so you can pop in to simply to use the bathrooms or drinking fountains, or even to take a break from the heat or the cold. If nothing else, it’s worth bringing by out-of-town visitors, because how cool is it that our neighborhood has a space devoted to poetry?

3. Poems! If you love poetry, you’ve probably already popped in to check out the offerings. If you don’t know much about it, dip a toe in with one of the anthologies, conveniently located on shelves before the main stacks and grouped by subject, or books of what’s called “occasional poetry” (i.e., for certain occasions, such as bereavemen or motherhood). The library also has iPods that you can use to listen to verse, and a free copy machine if you find something you want to treasure forever or snail-mail anonymously to that foxy barista you have a thing for (there’s a suggested donation if you’re making lots of copies, you cad).

4. Even if you hate poetry—along with East Coast elitists and fancy lettuce—Poets House features art exhibits, including a current one of paintings by Basil King.

5. About that children’s area (below): It opened a few weeks ago, and it’s adorable. There are books of poetry for kids, obviously, but also interactive options—kids can type a poem (using a typewriter!) on a card and then file in it a card cartalog for someone else to discover, or play with Magnetic Poetry, or be read to (Calef Brown, author of Dutch Sneakers and Fleakeepers, recently stopped by). Why wait for your child’s class to make a field trip? Besides, how else will your kids even know what a typewriter is?

6. I never leave without picking up one of the fortune cookies—with poems inside—by the front door, or a pencil or a pin. Even a poetry lover isn’t immune to the appeal of free stuff.

 
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1 Comment

  1. I love Poets House, a free inspirational place to sit read, noodle and unwind. Pretend it is all yours and on most days it is. It got me reading poetry, and attempting to memorize it while walking back and forth up and down the Hudson River in front of, you guessed it, Poets House. Read about it
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