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The Academy of American Poets Announces Dear Poet 2026, Inviting Students Across the United States to Write to Award-Winning Poets
New York, NY (March 5, 2026)—Today the Academy of American Poets announces Dear Poet 2026, inviting students across the United States in grades five through twelve to write letters in response to poems written and read by award-winning poets Richard Blanco, Eileen Myles, Wendy Xu, and Academy Chancellors Carolyn Forché, Ed Robertson, and Eleanor Wilner. Submissions will be accepted from now through May 15, 2026.
Through video recordings of poets reading their work—including Blanco’s “Como Tú / Like You / Like Me,” Forché’s “What Comes,” Myles’s “our happiness,” Roberson’s “a graphic,” Wilner’s “Of a Sun She Can Remember,” and Xu’s “Looking at My Father”—Dear Poet invites students into direct conversation with living writers and encourages thoughtful reflection and connection.
The Academy has expanded the online Dear Poet resource available on Poets.org to include Spanish-language program information, strengthening access for multilingual classrooms and families. By making core materials accessible in Spanish, the Academy aims to ensure broader participation in this annual celebration of poetry.
Every letter is read by a team of volunteers. All participating students receive a general response from the poet to whom they wrote, along with a certificate honoring their work. At the conclusion of National Poetry Month, five letters to each participating poet will be selected to receive personalized responses, and the exchange will be published in a shareable PDF booklet released in the summer.
“Dear Poet offers students the opportunity to experience poetry as an open conversation,” said Robert Casper, President and Executive Director of the Academy of American Poets. “A unique experience for both participating poets and students, the program reaffirms poetry as a connective tissue between generations and perspectives.”
Participation is free, and educators and students can learn more at poets.org/dearpoet. The Dear Poet project is made possible in part through the generous support of Penguin Random House.
About Dear Poet
Launched in 2015 by the Academy of American Poets, Dear Poet is a free, multimedia education project presented annually as part of National Poetry Month. The program invites students in grades five through twelve to write letters in response to poems written and read by award-winning poets. Since its inception, Dear Poet has engaged tens of thousands of students from hundreds of schools and congressional districts across the United States and internationally, fostering dialogue between young people and living poets while supporting classroom learning.
About National Poetry Month
Launched by the Academy of American Poets in April 1996, National Poetry Month celebrates poets’ integral role in American culture and affirms that poetry matters. Over the years, it has grown into the largest literary celebration in the world, reaching tens of millions of readers, students, K–12 teachers, librarians, booksellers, literary event organizers, publishers, families, and poets each year.
About the Academy of American Poets
Founded in 1934, the Academy of American Poets is a leading publisher of contemporary poetry in the United States. The organization annually awards more than $1.3 million to poets at various stages of their careers through its prize program. It also produces Poets.org, the world’s largest publicly funded website for poets and poetry; organizes National Poetry Month each April; publishes the Poem-a-Day series and American Poets magazine; provides free resources to educators; hosts public poetry programs and special events; and coordinates a national Poetry Coalition that promotes the value poets bring to our culture.
To learn more about the Academy of American Poets, including its staff, its Board of Directors, and its Board of Chancellors, visit poets.org.