A Great Place to Read - Poets House, NYC

Reading has always been something of an obsession. My parents were not avid readers although they read to me and taught me to read before I went to school.When I was ten I went to the local library during the school holidays and chose my books, went home and read them. I returned to the library later that day to choose more. The librarian thought that because I was bringing the books back on the same day I couldn't have read them. She told me to stop messing her about and to make sure I chose books I would actually read. I don't remember if I told her that I had read them. I just remember the frustration of being misread. Thankfully, she didn't put me off libraries.

My father often took me to the local working men's club where they had a library for members. It was from here that I got my first copy of "The Ragged Trousered Philanthropist".

I usually have three or four books on the go at any one time, as well as a couple of audio books. I also have a Kindle which is like my travelling library.

Poets House in NYC is an amazing place to go to read poetry. It is free and open to the public. It has a national archive of 50,000 volumes of poetry. The Reed Foundation Library at Poets House includes books, chapbooks, literary journals and the Axe-Houghton Multimedia Archive. It is the largest and most comprehensive independent poetry collection available to the public in open stacks anywhere in the USA.



 

Library and Reading Room at Poets House, NYC

At Poets House, poets and poetry lovers can read, work on their computers using free WiFi, listen to poetry on tape, watch poetry video, view art exhibitions or attend a workshop or reading. An extensive network of support services includes reference materials, low-cost photocopying and the help of a professional staff. An active bulletin board and material from literary organizations around the country make Poets House a clearinghouse for information about poetry and poetry resources.

http://poetshouse.org/