April is National Poetry Month — a time set aside each year to celebrate the written and spoken word in all its richness.

Established by the Academy of American Poets in 1996, this national celebration has grown into the largest literary event in the world. Millions of readers, teachers, librarians, students, publishers and of course, poets, join together each April to affirm something timeless and quietly revolutionary: that poetry matters.

This year, in our corner of the Ozarks, Cassville is adding its own verse to that national chorus.

Thanks to a growing sense of cultural awareness and community support, the city of Cassville has officially proclaimed April 24 as “Cassville Community Poetry Day.” On that day, the Crowder College Cassville Instructional Site will host a “Poetry Open Mic Night,” an event that invites local college and high school student voices to step forward, share their work, and connect through the power of language.

This celebration of words is not just about poetry; it’s about belonging, expression, and community.

In a world that moves too fast, poetry slows us down. It asks us to look again. It gives shape to memory and meaning to emotion. For a rural town like ours, poetry offers something quietly profound: it gives voice to lived experiences that might otherwise go unheard.

Whether it’s a teenager searching for identity, a retired farmer reflecting on the land, or a young parent capturing the fragile joy of raising a child, poetry creates a space for truth-telling — and for listening.

That’s why the Open Mic event is more than just a time of readings. It is a statement. It says that art is not reserved for distant cities or university lecture halls. It belongs here, too: on our streets, in our libraries, in our schools and around our kitchen tables.

The people of Cassville have stories to tell, and poetry is one of the oldest and most beautiful ways of telling them.

Crowder College in Cassville endeavors to foster literacy, learning and artistic expression across all ages. But, this isn’t just an academic initiative. It’s a community one. It’s our community, “America’s Real Hometown.”

Young poets, many of them first-time readers, will be sharing their own work in the public space. We rejoice in the possibility of a great future, a future that is borne by our own youth, their creativity and authenticity to one another.

If you’re curious, come. If you’ve never been to a poetry reading before, come. If you think poetry is “not your thing,” come. You may discover the world of verse speaks to you more deeply than you imagined.

Cassville’s Poetry Open Mic Night on April 24 at 4 p.m. The event at Crowder College is a celebration not just of poetry, but of possibility.

So, let’s keep writing, sharing, and listening. Because, in its many years, Cassville residents, knowingly or unknowingly, intentionally or by chance, have embraced poetry to sing gladness in the hearts, salve the wounds of despair and proclaim the mysteries of the cosmos.

We celebrate language, the ability for one person to reach across the table of life, speak words of hope and thereby make sense of our shared journey in this world.

Terry Held is an English instructor at Crowder College Cassville. His research interests include southern literature, gastronomy, contemporary American poetry, the world of Le Flaneur and the cultural influences that shape the written word. He can be reached at TerryHeld@Crowder.edu.