New York, NY (March 31, 2022)— Friday, April 1 marks the beginning of the 26th annual National Poetry Month, an occasion launched by the Academy of American Poets to celebrate the integral role that poets and poetry have in our culture. Over the past two years, National Poetry Month has taken on new meaning and importance, with more readers turning to poetry than ever before.
In honor of National Poetry Month, the Academy of American Poets offers the following activities, initiatives, and resources to assist readers in joining the celebration anywhere, including online, at home, and in the classroom, throughout the month of April and beyond.
Poets.org: Official Online Information Hub
Visit Poets.org, the official information hub for National Poetry Month, to find many resources, including a list of 30 ways to celebrate National Poetry Month online and at home, and 30 ways to celebrate in the classroom.
Poetry Near You
List your poetry readings and events on the national Poetry Near You calendar on Poets.org. You can also download the official National Poetry Month logo to use on your National Poetry Month event promotional materials.
Poetry for the Classroom
Share Dear Poet, a special multimedia education project, with students in grades five through twelve. Dear Poet invites students to write letters in response to poems read by award-winning poets serving on the Academy’s Board of Chancellors, including Ellen Bass, Marilyn Chin, Kwame Dawes, and Forrest Gander, as well as Poets Laureate from across the country. The readings are recorded in a series of exclusive videos presented on Poets.org. Teachers interested in offering Dear Poet as a classroom activity can use this free lesson plan or activities shared by other teachers that accompany the videos. Students or teachers may submit letters by April 30. Selected letters will receive a reply from the poet and be featured on Poets.org in May.
In addition to Dear Poet, the Academy produces Teach This Poem, an award-winning, weekly series that helps teachers and students engage with the art of poetry, as well as lesson plans and tips for teachers to help bring poetry into the classroom.
National Poetry Month Poster: Featuring Lines by 2021 Presidential Inaugural Poet and 2017 National Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman
Order a free copy of the official 2022 National Poetry Month poster, which was designed by eleventh grader Lara L. from Yonkers, New York which features lines by 2021 Presidential Inaugural Poet and 2017 National Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman. Copies are available through Poets.org while supplies last; the poster is also available as a downloadable PDF. In partnership with the American Booksellers Association, the American Library Association, and the National Council of Teachers of English, the Academy of American Poets will distribute 90,000 National Poetry Month posters to teachers, students, families, and individuals throughout the United States.
Poem-a-Day: Curated by Award-winning Poet Naomi Shihab Nye
Sign up for Poem-a-Day to receive a free poem in your inbox each morning. The series features previously unpublished poems by contemporary poets on the weekdays and classic poems from the public domain on the weekends, and is a popular way to engage with poetry daily. On weekdays this April, the series will feature poems selected by award-winning poet Naomi Shihab Nye.
Poem-a-Day is published on Poets.org, which was redesigned in 2019 to ensure that it adheres to web accessibility standards, and each Poem-a-Day newsletter features, in addition to the text, an audio recording of the poem.
Hashtag: #NationalPoetryMonth
Follow the National Poetry Month celebrations happening across the country by using the official hashtag, #NationalPoetryMonth. Tweet your online readings or virtual events to the Academy of American Poets @POETSorg so the organization can re-share.
Poetry & the Creative Mind on April 28
Join the Academy of American Poets for its signature National Poetry Month event, Poetry & the Creative Mind, the organization’s annual benefit, happening April 28 at 7:30 pm EDT. The event will be presented virtually, making it available to poetry readers and lovers everywhere. This year’s program includes performances of favorite poems by Rosanne Cash, Willem Dafoe, Ann Dowd, Gregory Gourdet, 2022 Leadership Award recipient Joy Harjo, Bill T. Jones, Debra Monk, and other luminaries from across the arts and culture. Learn more about the Poetry & the Creative Mind Producers Circle or register to attend for free. Proceeds from the event help fund the Academy’s K–12 Education Program, which reaches more than 100,000 students each year with free resources.
Poem in Your Pocket Day on April 29
Select a poem and share it with others at work, at home, online, or in the virtual classroom on Poem in Your Pocket Day, happening April 29. The Academy of American Poets provides free resources for celebrating National Poem in Your Pocket Day, including a downloadable PDF of pocket poems on Poets.org. Poem in Your Pocket Day was launched in 2002 by the New York City Office of the Mayor, in partnership with the New York City Departments of Cultural Affairs and Education. In 2008, the Academy of American Poets expanded the initiative nationally, and in 2016 to Canada in partnership with the League of Canadian Poets. People can share their poems online using the official hashtag #PocketPoem.
National Media Resource
Throughout the year and especially in April, the Academy of American Poets responds to media inquiries about poetry in the United States and American poets, providing numerous interviews and information about poetry today. To book an interview with a representative from the Academy of American Poets, contact Michelle Campagna at: (212) 274-0343, ext. 22 or by writing [email protected].
National Poetry Month Sponsors and Partners
The Academy of American Poets’ activities and programming are only possible with the support of National Poetry Month Sponsors and Partners, including 826 National, ABRAMS Books, Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., American Booksellers Association, American Library Association, Betsy South Beach Hotel, Civitella Ranieri Foundation, Glen Hollow, Graywolf Press, National Council of Teachers of English, National Endowment for the Arts, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, New York State Council on the Arts, O, Miami, Oatly, Penguin Books, Penguin Random House, Poetry Foundation, Poets & Writers, University of Arizona Press, and W. W. Norton & Company.
About the Academy of American Poets
Founded in 1934, the Academy of American Poets is the nation’s leading champion of poets and poetry with supporters in all fifty states. The organization annually awards more funds to individual poets than any other organization through its prize program, giving a total of $1.25 million to more than 200 poets at various stages of their careers. The organization also produces Poets.org, the world’s largest publicly funded website for poets and poetry; established and organizes National Poetry Month each April; publishes the popular Poem-a-Day series and American Poets magazine; provides award-winning resources to K–12 educators, including the Teach This Poem series; hosts an annual series of poetry readings and special events; and coordinates a national Poetry Coalition working to promote the value poets bring to our culture.