Cobb County Public Library celebrates National Poetry Month
By Kelly Johnson
With the Cobb County Library System celebrating National Poetry Month, North Cobb Regional Library will open the CCPL Celebrates America 250: Poetry Competition on Monday, April 6th. This is an open call that will run until April 22nd. The prompt for this competition is “America is…”, and poets are invited to share their perspective of the nation.
This poetry competition shall be interesting given the expectation of poets telling their American experience; and with 2026 marking the 250th year of the country’s founding, a quarter of a millennium is an ideal time to capture stories of identity, history, hope, struggle, belonging, change, and or contradiction. This said, poems shall be accepted in any format or style and in any language. (English translations are not required, but if a poem is in a different language, its English translation will help it resonate with native English-speaking people.)
There are a couple of options for poets to submit their piece. Poems may be submitted online, here, or dropped off in person at North Cobb Regional Library. (In the library, there is a clearly marked box to receive poems.) By submitting a poem, poets shall enter one of three categories: Youth (ages 8-12), Teen (13-17), and Adult (18+). One may one want to reference and modify the William Shunn poetry submission format by specifying only their name and age—for good measure.
On April 29th, the library will receive, honor, and showcase winners. The reception’s highlights are a public poetry reading, exhibition of selected pieces, and an awards ceremony announcing the North Cobb Regional Library Poet Laureate.
In addition, North Cobb Regional Library will celebrate National Poetry Month with a Poetry Collage Workshop on Wednesday, April 8th at 6:00 PM. This adult program is a creative way to write poetry—albeit by cutting out and arranging printed text. Open to all, novice and established poets alike.
Other events scheduled at North Cobb Regional Library are:
- Romance Book Club, Wednesday, April 1st at 6:00 PM
(Gabriela and His Grace by Liana De la Rosa)
- Monday Night Murder Club, Monday, April 6th at 6:00 PM
(Murder in Mesopotamia by Agatha Christie)
- Beyond Baker Street: A Sherlock Holmes-Inspired Book Discussion
(A Monstrous Regiment of Women by Laurie R. King)
- Cover-to-Cover Book Discussion, Tuesday, April 28th at 2:00 PM
(The Astral Library by Kate Quinn)
NOTE:
The library will be closed:
- Friday, April 3rd for Good Friday
- Sunday, April 5th for Easter
The Cobb County website is currently under development, and so library events may be unavailable online.
Contact North Cobb Regional Library for event inquiries or review its April schedule.
North Cobb Regional Library is located at:
3535 Old 41 Hwy NW
Kennesaw, Georgia 30144
+1 770 801 5320
As always, check out that book, and get your creativity on. Your brain will thank you.
Be sure to subscribe to the Cobb County Public Library System’s (Library System) Newsletter here.
APRIL 2026
WEEK 1
| DATE | DAY | EST (24hr) | EVENT |
| APRIL 01, 2026 | Wednesday | 10:00 – 20:00 | |
| 10:00 | Play Café | ||
| 12:00 | Craft and Chat | ||
| 13:00 | How To Get Started With Artificial Intelligence | ||
| 16:00 | Family Board Game Night | ||
| 18:00 | Romance Book Club (Gabriela and His Grace by Liana De la Rosa) | ||
| APRIL 02, 2026 | Thursday | 10:00 – 18:00 | |
| 11:00 | Adults with Special Needs Meet Up | ||
| 16:30 | Egg Drop Challenge | ||
| APRIL 03, 2026 | Friday | 10:00 – 18:00 | GOOD FRIDAY |
| APRIL 04, 2026 | Saturday | 10:00 – 17:00 | |
| 10:00 | Cross Stitch Meet Up | ||
APRIL 2026
WEEK 2
| DATE | DAY | EST (24hr) | EVENT |
| APRIL 05, 2026 | Sunday | 13:00 – 17:00 | EASTER |
| APRIL 06, 2026 | Monday | 10:00 – 20:00 | |
| 10:00 | CCPL Celebrates America 250: Poetry Competition | ||
| 16:00 | Dungeons & Dragons for Kids | ||
| 16:00 | Stress Less Month: Just Dance Party at North Cobb Library | ||
| 18:00 | Monday Night Murder Club (Murder in Mesopotamia by Agatha Christie) | ||
| APRIL 07, 2026 | Tuesday | 10:00 – 20:00 | |
| 10:00 | AARP Smart Driver Course | ||
| 10:30 | Family Storytime | ||
| 11:30 | Family Storytime | ||
| APRIL 08, 2026 | Wednesday | 10:00 – 20:00 | |
| 10:00 | Play Café | ||
| 12:00 | Craft and Chat | ||
| 16:00 | Whatever Wednesday (at NCRL) | ||
| 16:00 | Family Board Game Night | ||
| 18:00 | Poetry Collage Workshop | ||
| APRIL 09, 2026 | Thursday | 10:00 – 18:00 | |
| 11:00 | Adults with Special Needs Meet Up | ||
| 16:30 | Woven Wall Art | ||
| APRIL 10, 2026 | Friday | 10:00 – 18:00 | |
| 16:00 | Paws to Read with Tucker | ||
| APRIL 11, 2026 | Saturday | 10:00 – 17:00 | |
APRIL 2026
WEEK 3
| DATE | DAY | EST (24hr) | EVENT |
| APRIL 12, 2026 | Sunday | 13:00 – 17:00 | |
| APRIL 13, 2026 | Monday | 10:00 – 20:00 | |
| 10:00 | CCPL Celebrates America 250: Poetry Competition | ||
| 10:30 | KSU Children & Family Programs | ||
| 16:00 | Stress Less Month: Glow-in-the-Dark Painting (at NCRL) | ||
| 16:00 | Dungeons & Dragons for Kids | ||
| 17:00 | Make it Your Own – Sewing Workshop | ||
| APRIL 14, 2026 | Tuesday | 10:00 – 20:00 | |
| 10:30 | Family Storytime | ||
| 11:30 | Family Storytime | ||
| 17:00 | Middle Makers | ||
| 18:00 | The Art Experience | ||
| APRIL 15, 2026 | Wednesday | 10:00 – 20:00 | |
| 10:00 | Play Café | ||
| 12:00 | Craft and Chat | ||
| 16:00 | Family Board Game Night | ||
| 18:00 | The Art Experience | ||
| APRIL 16, 2026 | Thursday | 10:00 – 18:00 | |
| 10:30 | Sensory-Friendly Storytime | ||
| 11:00 | Adults with Special Needs Meet Up | ||
| 16:30 | Water Bottle Rockets | ||
| APRIL 17, 2026 | Friday | 10:00 – 18:00 | |
| 11:00 | American Red Cross Blood Drive | ||
| 16:30 | Book Buddies | ||
| APRIL 18, 2026 | Saturday | 10:00 – 17:00 | |
| 15:00 | Once Upon a Twirl: Fairytale Dance Performance | ||
APRIL 2026
WEEK 4
| DATE | DAY | EST (24hr) | EVENT |
| APRIL 19, 2026 | Sunday | 13:00 – 17:00 | |
| APRIL 20, 2026 | Monday | 10:00 – 20:00 | |
| 10:00 | CCPL Celebrates America 250: Poetry Competition | ||
| 11:00 | GED Prep Classes | ||
| 16:00 | Dungeons & Dragons for Kids | ||
| 16:00 | Stress Less Month: Chill with Tucker (at NCRL) | ||
| 17:00 | Make It Your Own – Sewing Workshop | ||
| APRIL 21, 2026 | Tuesday | 10:00 – 20:00 | |
| 10:30 | Family Storytime | ||
| 11:30 | Family Storytime | ||
| 18:00 | Beyond Baker Street: A Sherlock Holmes-Inspired Book Discussion (A Monstrous Regiment of Womenby Laurie R. King) | ||
| APRIL 22, 2026 | Wednesday | 10:00 – 20:00 | |
| 10:00 | Play Café | ||
| 12:00 | Craft and Chat | ||
| 16:00 | Family Board Game Night | ||
| 18:00 | All Ages BINGO | ||
| APRIL 23, 2026 | Thursday | 10:00 – 18:00 | |
| 11:00 | Adults with Special Needs Meet Up | ||
| 16:30 | DIY Playdough | ||
| APRIL 24, 2026 | Friday | 10:00 – 18:00 | |
| 16:00 | Paws to Read with Tucker | ||
| APRIL 25, 2026 | Saturday | 10:00 – 17:00 | |
| 14:00 | Embroidery Basics for Tweens and Teens | ||
APRIL 2026
WEEK 5
| DATE | DAY | EST (24hr) | EVENT |
| APRIL 26, 2026 | Sunday | 13:00 – 17:00 | |
| APRIL 27, 2026 | Monday | 10:00 – 20:00 | |
| 10:00 | CCPL Celebrates America 250: Poetry Competition | ||
| 16:00 | Dungeons & Dragons for Kids | ||
| 16:30 | Stress Less Month: The Outlet (at NCRL) | ||
| APRIL 28, 2026 | Tuesday | 10:00 – 20:00 | |
| 10:30 | Family Storytime | ||
| 11:30 | Family Storytime | ||
| 14:00 | Cover-to-Cover Book Discussion (The Astral Library by Kate Quinn) | ||
| 17:00 | Middle Makers | ||
| APRIL 29, 2026 | Wednesday | 10:00 – 20:00 | |
| 10:00 | Play Café | ||
| 12:00 | Craft and Chat | ||
| 16:00 | Family Board Game Night | ||
| APRIL 30, 2026 | Thursday | 10:00 – 18:00 | |
| 11:00 | Adults with Special Needs Meet Up | ||
Kelly Johnson, a resident of Cobb since 1999, wears multiple hats for Chaos Studio Seven, among which is creative writer. Outside of speculative and science fiction—and on occasion poetry—Kelly uses his skill set as a writer to report on and inform the community.
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