Inspired - A National Poetry Month Idea...

So, I'm feeling pretty inspired by this One World, One Heart Artist Giveaway event and it's made me think we should do something like this for poetry.

Basically, what the One World, One Art Giveaway is that each artist gives away one item (sometimes more)on their blog. Readers leave their comments for X number of days until the contest/event ends and there are is a drawing.

It is such a great idea! It's not about promotion or selling your work, it's about giving. (If you haven't read Lewis Hyde's The Gift: Creativity and the Artist in the Modern World (Vintage). The idea behind the event is about connecting with others.

So I've thinking about this idea for poets as well.

If you're interested, I'll organize it for National Poetry Month this year.

I was thinking, instead of offering visual arts, we could each offer 2 books of poems where people could be entered into a drawing to win them. The first book (or chapbook) can be your poems and the second can be a book by one of your favorite poets.

If you don't have a book or chapbook published yet, you could offer two books by two of your favorite poets.

Also, I think the books should be new or relatively new. And they have to be books you LOVE. Not the poetry books that you just didn't connect with or the ones you're trying to get rid of (so sorry, no giveaway Jewel books that your relative bought you because s/he heard you were into poetry).

We could highlight our favorite books we are going to giveaway on our blogs in April 2010 for National Poetry Month, then we could each have the drawing the first few days of May.

What do you think?

I think that would be a great way to win some free poetry books and learn about new poets and new books. Also, it would be a great way to get your books into other hands, meet new poets, and learn about new blogs.

I'm going to think about the details more, but watch for more on this.

I think it's an incredible way to share books with each other. Whimsical Bohemian, who started the One World, One HeArt event, has definitely inspired me.

More to come on this. Any ideas appreciated.