The Poem Farm: 2013 Keynote Poems

Here is a list of the poems and books I shared during my keynote address at the Paramus, NJ Writing Institute on July 16, 2013. Selecting which poems to include (and which not to include) was difficult, but I hope that you enjoy these as much as I do. I welcome you to share an important poem or the name of a poet who sits around the campfire of your heart in the comments below.
Please do!
xo,
Amy

Poems slow us down.

Poems help us appreciate the imagery of our own lives.

Poems help us make choices.

Poems connect us to people who we will never know or who are forever gone.

Poems give each of us a secret life.

How the Stars Came Down by Pat Schneider

My Dead Friends by Marie Howe

Seal Lullaby - by Rudyard Kipling

Eric Whitacre's Choral Arrangement of Rudyard Kipling's poem

People - by Charlotte Zolotow

Hurry by Marie Howe

Splitting an Order by Ted Kooser

Choose by Carl Sandburg (did not read due to time constraints)

Choices by Tess Gallagher

Xenophobia by Amy Ludwig VanDerwater

Barry Lane's Song Afraid of Love inspired by Amy LV's poem

Candles by Carl Dennis

Boy and Egg by Naomi Shihab Nye (did not read due to time constraints)

A Secret Life by Stephen Dunn

Books and Sites Mentioned

Indie Bound