Today is World Intellectual Property Day

Today--April 26--is World Intellectual Property Day. This day was designated by the members of the World Intellectual Property Organization "to promote discussion of the role of intellectual property in encouraging innovation and creativity" and "with the aim of increasing general understanding of IP". I think is a fantastic idea. Poetry--and indeed all forms of creative writing, including essays, novels, scripts, etc.--constitute intellectual property.

The theme for 2013 is "Creativity: The Next Generation". The WIPO site has a great list of suggested activities. One of those activities, which relates to writing and copyright issues, was to "celebrate the works of a notable inventor, artist, designer, entrepreneur, etc.". "Notable writer" and "notable poet" fit well within that list, so I'm going to start a series here on the blog highlighting various poets who have inspired me over the years.

Who inspires you?