Tag: National Poetry Month

National Poetry Month: Does a Video Make Poetry Come Alive?
Memories · My Books · MY LIFE · My Thoughts · poetry

National Poetry Month: Does a Video Make Poetry Come Alive?

Larada Horner-MillerLeave a comment

Does a video make poetry come alive? Poetry is meant to be read out loud. Does a video of a poem make it come more accessible? Here’s what I’ve done.

2025 Videos

As I prepared for April, National Poetry Month in 2025, I recorded twenty-five videos of me reading poems from my different poetry books and one from my favorite poet, Mary Oliver. Originally, I planned to post one each day of April, but I got sick and wasn’t able to do all thirty days, but I ended up posting only twenty-five days.

As a poet, I loved reading my poetry and creating the short individual videos. I have posted them all on my YouTube channel, so they are available all year.

2026 Videos

So, this year, I had planned to get a jump on National Poetry Month, but I spent March in the states and forgot about it. I let the first few days of April slip by—I returned to Panamá on April 1st and it took me several days to get adjusted to being here again. Sadly, I didn’t start sharing my poetry videos until April 9, but I doubled up and got all of the missed days shared.

Also, I recorded the missing five days’ of poetry that I hadn’t recorded last year. These are the five poems I recorded this year:

  1. Self-Care Redefined in 2020 from Coronavirus Reflections: Bitter or Better?
  2. Childless from Was it a Dream?: Navigating Life’s Journey Through Poetry
  3. The World I Knew – Villanelle poem from Is My Truth Universal?: A Woman’s Poetic Odyssey
  4. Christmas at the Horners from Hair on Fire: A Heartwarming & Humorous Christmas Memoir
  5.  A Storyteller Forever from Was it a Dream?: Navigating Life’s Journey Through Poetry

So, now I have thirty poems recorded from nine of my books (one book hasn’t been published yet) and I added a Mary Oliver excerpt that has become my motto.

This year, I have posted my videos on the following social media sites. Check ‘em out!

You Haven’t Seen All of the Videos

Because you are on my email list, I have not inundated you with daily emails of my poetry video for the day. Last week, I shared three videos of poems in my blog, so you saw them.

This week, here’s three more:

Canyon—A Sleepy Time for Me from This Tumbleweed Landed

Time Measured Out from Time Measured Out!: Navigating Life’s Journey Through Poetry

Age Crept Up on Me! From book #5 in the poetry series, Navigating Life’s Journey Through Poetry. This book has not been published or given a title yet. You are getting sneak preview!

Finally,

During April for National Poetry Month, I love putting my poetry out there for everyone to see and hear. Do you watch videos of poems read by the poet? Does a video make a difference to you in accessing poetry? Do videos attract your attention? Which poetry video from this week do you like the best? Which one from last week?

Believe me when I say that poetry is for everyone. See the topics above—all over the place, and just maybe a topic of interest to you!

Larada Horner-Miller photo - video
Yes, tell me which poem & video you like the best! I have so many!

Professional Reader

My Newest Books

Time Measured Out!: Navigating Life’s Journey Through Poetry, Book #2 e-book

ISBN – 9798989688654

$3.99 for limited time

is my truth universal? book cover

Is My Truth Universal?: A Woman’s Poetic Odyssey e-book

ISBN – 979-8989688623

ALWAYS FREE

Was It a Dream? book cover

Was It a Dream?: Navigating Life’s Journey Through Poetry, Book #1 – e-book

ISBN – 979-8989688630

 $3.99

Hair on Fire book cover

Hair on Fire: A Heartwarming & Humorous Christmas Memoir e-book

ISBN – 978-0996614498

$3.99

Buy My Audio Books:

This Tumbleweed Landed

This Tumbleweed Landed audiobook cover

Let Me Tell You a Story 

Let Me Tell You a Story audiobook cover

Hair on Fire: A Heartwarming & Humorous Memoir Audiobook

Hair on Fire: A Heartwarming & Humorous Christmas Memoir audiobook cover

End on a High Note: National Poetry Month Draws to a Close!
My Thoughts · poetry · Spirituality

End on a High Note: National Poetry Month Draws to a Close!

Larada Horner-MillerLeave a comment
National Poetry Month draws to an end

The end comes soon to National Poetry Month and this will be my last post to celebrate my poetry. I end with one of my favorite poems I’ve written, Spirit Coyote.

Often I took early morning walks around an Indian burial ground in the southeastern part of Albuquerque, New Mexico near our home. I walked along the chain link fence and wondered about it. This actually happened to me on one of those walks.

Coyote - end

Spirit Coyote

September 20, 2000

A Walk Near Our House

One soft quiet dawn I see you and my deep heart knows.
We know each other profoundly          
            beyond time and space.
 
Your eyes haunt me
            following my every move.
Your home, a sacred Indian burial ground,
separated from the world and me by a chain link fence.
Ancient ones honored!
 
I walk by here daily on the outside—
you and them gather together today on the inside.
 
Are you coyote?  Are you spirit?  I can’t be sure!
I question as I’m mesmerized by you.
            You turn away from me, and          
                        I recognize your lean frame.
You are coyote!
 
Death has captured them
            and you, too,
		or are you captured?
Are you dead?
	Are you free?
 
You follow my moves;
            stealthily you step towards me.
I gulp worried you will charge,
            but your movement stops towards me.
Now you move with me, alongside me.
 
I feel comfort in your presence—
            no fear,
            a companion that knows my heart.
You rise up on a small mound
            then you’re gone—gone forever!
 
A chain link fence separates us.
            You locked in with the dead,
                        me alive outside,
                        walking free,
            yet skirting you and death.
		Are you here every day?
 
At times, I hear the chains in the fence rattle in the breeze, 
            yet I know it’s not the breeze—
            	the sound is too severe.
            I know it’s spirits, like you caught in that place,
                        that place between the unknown,
                        a place I know so well!
 
We are one; I see it!
Death, spirit coyote and me
            roaming through this life!
Those ancient ones inside me clamor to be
            free, to be put to rest!
 
Your spirit sought me out
            with a message.
Some natives see you as the trickster,
            the predator by ranchers.
Others see you as the tourist symbol of the Southwest
            and place a red bandana around your neck.
		What a shame!
 
Your spirit is larger, filling the arroyo
            and canyon of my heart.
You roam free—
            so, take me along!
I yearn to roam free,
            to howl at the moon,
                           at my loneliness,
                           at my aloneness,
                           at the other spirits walking my same path.

Larada Horner-Miller, Time Measured Out!: Navigating Life’s Journey Through Poetry, (Horner Publishing Company, 2025): TBA

If you would like to hear me read the first few stanzas of this poem, here it is: https://youtu.be/A08M4BpuP5c?si=TMOkD6ySgfncRKyV

I have so enjoyed sharing my poetry this month with you! This month, I’ve read many of my poems and shared them on social media. If you missed them, they are also on my YouTube channel.

Finally,

I just sent the manuscript of book #2 of my four-book poetry series, Time Measure Out!: Navigating Life’s Journey Through Poetry, to my editor. Wow! That always feels like such an accomplishment! This is my tenth book! That’s hard to imagine! And more to come, so be ready!

My Newest Books

Is My Truth Universal?: A Woman’s Poetic Odyssey e-book – FREE

Was It a Dream?: Navigating Life’s Journey Through Poetry e-book on sale for $3.99

Hair on Fire

Hair on Fire: A Heartwarming & Humorous Christmas Memoir e-book on sale for $5.99

Buy My Audio Books:

This Tumbleweed Landed

This Tumbleweed Landed audiobook cover

Let Me Tell You a Story 

Let Me Tell You a Story audiobook cover

Hair on Fire: A Heartwarming & Humorous Memoir Audiobook

Hair on Fire: A Heartwarming & Humorous Christmas Memoir audiobook cover

April—National Poetry Month: Read & Listen to Poetry
My Thoughts · poetry

April—National Poetry Month: Read & Listen to Poetry

Larada Horner-MillerLeave a comment
National Poetry Month - April

It’s National Poetry Month. I love April for a variety of reasons: spring in the air, a fresh spring snow storm yesterday of sixteen inches and poetry!

Yes, you all know I write poetry and prose. I love that combination and have used it in many of my books, but as of late, I have focused more on poetry. My favorite poet right now is Mary Oliver, and these words from her poem, Sometimes, have inspired and shocked me:

“Instructions for living a life:

Pay attention.

Be astonished.

Tell About It.”

~Mary Oliver, “Sometimes”

These instructions shock me because I have realized that’s what I do with my poetry and have done it for years. Right now, I’m working on Book #2 of my four-book poetry series that spans my poetry from 1986-2025. Yes, unconsciously I have followed her advice.

Because I’m in the recording mode, I decided to record Oliver’s instructions for living a life.

So I wanted to share some of my poems this week from recent book, Was It a Dream?: Navigating Life’s Journey Through Poetry which is book #1 in my four-book poetry series.

Somehow, I let April 1 and 2 slip, but I recorded poetry the last four days and shared them on various social media sites, but today I’m only sharing two of my poems and recordings.

Two Poems from Was It a Dream?

Playing With Words

December 8, 1995

Catch a word
and drag it by the leg—

hold on tight. Don’t let go!

Hold on!
Don’t let it bite you— you might die from its

poisonous bite or worse—

YOU MIGHT WANT TO WRITE MORE!

The Laundromat

Spokane, Washington

June 18, 1998

Ingenuity of children
Big Brother sees it as a race car.

Mom sees it as a laundry basket on wheels.

Little brother takes advantage of

big brother’s imagination.

Down one aisle Down another

Little brother’s eyes glisten.

Smiles and giggles filled his face.

For a moment, it was a race car— they raced

and won,
but mom interrupted the fun!

“Boys, stop that!”

Finally,

I plan on packing a lot of my poetry in April, so I hope you’re ready for the ride—from my books. See—I have poetry in seven of my nine books, so I have a lot to choose from! Also I will share haiku I haven’t published yet, so April will be full!

If you’d like to sample some of my poetry, click on the link below!

My Newest Books

 is my truth universal? e-book – FREE

Was It a Dream?: Navigating Life’s Journey Through Poetry e-book on sale for $.99

Hair on Fire

Hair on Fire: A Heartwarming & Humorous Christmas Memoir e-book on sale for $1.99

Buy My Audio Books:

This Tumbleweed Landed

This Tumbleweed Landed audiobook cover

Chirp

Nook

Storytel

Libro.FM

Google Play

Kobo, Walmart

Audiobooks.com

Let Me Tell You a Story 

Let Me Tell You a Story audiobook cover

Audible

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Apple Books

Kobo

Hair on Fire: A Heartwarming & Humorous Memoir Audiobook

Hair on Fire: A Heartwarming & Humorous Christmas Memoir audiobook cover

Chirp

Amazon

Kobo, Walmart

Libro.FM

NOOK 

Storytel

Bounty from ACX United States

United Kingdom

Germany

France

Canada

Australia