Brown Girl Dreaming

Reading aloud isn't just for kids. Everyone benefits from the simple, calming act of picking up a book and enjoying a story together. It is especially important in this age of frantic, electronic, distraction. We have become so accustomed to the constant cacophony of our devices, we forget how important it is to unplug.

April is National Poetry Month, which means itls the ideal time to treat yourself to a new book of verses. But how to choose a collection you'll like? While itls common knowledge that Sylvia Plath could pen a novel just as well as a poem, we often overlook the fact that plenty novelists have also dabbled in the arts of meter and metaphor. Maybe your favorite author has waxed poetic and you just don't know it yet. Here are a few popular writers wholve skillfully pivoted between prose and poetry.