The age of texting and tweeting has brought out the curmudgeon in me, in part because I sometimes feel as if I’m immersed in degraded written English. National Poetry Month, celebrated in April, is a sort of antidote to all this — a time to savor the expressive power of the written word.

On April 21, UC Berkeley’s Center for Jewish Studies will present a program at the Magnes titled “At Home in America? Three Poets on Belonging and Diaspora in an Unsettled Moment.” My favor to myself for poetry month was to read these poets’ new books, which was a rewarding endeavor.