What is it about?
Poetry written about government information reveals the humanity concealed in bureaucratic documents. While government publications have a reputation for dry, unreadable language, poets have teased out their metaphors and meaning, tying government information to artistic literary expression in unexpected ways.
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Why is it important?
Government publications are generally the opposite of poetry. The fact that these dry texts can nonetheless inspire poets shows a more humanitarian aspect of government and its real-world effects on people's lives. Interpreting government publications though poetic language is a creative way to communicate the importance of laws, regulation, policy and planning.
Perspectives
My work focuses on how libraries can increase civic engagement and social justice. I believe that teachers and librarians could use poetry as an entry point to make government publications more user-friendly.
Amy Brunvand
University of Utah
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: The Poetry of Government Information, DttP Documents to the People, June 2019, American Library Association,
DOI: 10.5860/dttp.v47i2.7033.
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