The Academy of American Poets—which founded and continues to organize National Poetry Month each year—is pleased to announce the following activities and initiatives for this coming April celebration of poets and poetry.
Official Hashtag and Logo
Follow the thousands of National Poetry Month celebrations taking place using #npm17. Schools, libraries, publishers, booksellers, reading coordinators, and poets are also invited to tweet their events to the Academy of American Poets @POETSorg.
The Academy of American Poets encourages use of the new National Poetry Month logo, which can be downloaded from Poets.org.
Official National Poetry Month Poster Designed by Maira Kalman
Maira Kalman has created this year’s official National Poetry Month poster, which is available for free through Poets.org while supplies last.
Each year, in partnership with American Booksellers Association, the American Library Association, and the National Council of Teachers of English, the organization distributes over 100,000 free National Poetry Month posters to classrooms, libraries, and bookstores throughout the United States. Read the 2017 National Poetry Month poster press release here.
Dear Poet Project
Dear Poet, the Academy of American Poets’ multimedia education project, invites students in grades 5-12 to write letters in response to poems shared by award-winning poets serving on the organization’s Board of Chancellors. The Chancellors recite their poems in a series of exclusive videos presented on Poets.org. Teachers interested in offering Dear Poet as a classroom activity can visit Poets.org to access the free Common Core-aligned lesson plan that accompanies the videos.
Participating Chancellors include National Book Award winner Mark Doty, Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award winner Linda Gregerson, U.S. Poet Laureate Juan Felipe Herrera, Pulitzer Prize finalist Brenda Hillman, Academy Fellowship recipient Jane Hirshfield, MacArthur Fellowship recipient Khaled Mattawa, Frost Medal recipient Marilyn Nelson, National Book Award finalist Alicia Ostriker, Arizona Poet Laureate Alberto Ríos, American Book Award winner Arthur Sze, and American Book Awards’ Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Anne Waldman.
Students can mail their response letters to the Academy of American Poets or email them to [email protected] by April 30, 2017. Selected letters will receive a reply from the poet and will be featured on Poets.org.
Meryl Streep to Host Poetry & the Creative Mind on April 19, 2017, in New York City
On April 19, the Academy of American Poets will hold its annual Poetry & the Creative Mind celebration at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall, hosted by Meryl Streep. The event celebrates poetry’s important place in our culture and its impact on the lives of readers, and features leading and legendary actors, dancers, artists, musicians, and public figures on one stage sharing their favorite poems. The always inspiring evening is a benefit, which raises funds to support the educational programs of the Academy of American Poets.
National Poem in Your Pocket Day on April 27, 2017
On National Poem in Your Pocket Day, people throughout the United States select a poem, carry it with them, and share it with others throughout the day. The Academy of American Poets provides free resources for celebrating National Poem in Your Pocket Day, including a downloadable a 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 took the initiative national and today it is celebrated in schools, communities, and workplaces in all 50 states. People can also share their poem online using the official hashtag #pocketpoem.
Poets.org
Poets.org, the website of the Academy of American Poets, has many resources for celebrating National Poetry Month, including poetry listings throughout the United States and lesson plans for teachers who want to bring poetry into their classroom. Visit Poets.org for more about National Poetry Month initiatives across the United States.
About National Poetry Month
Established in 1996 by the Academy of American Poets, National Poetry Month is the largest literary celebration in the world. The goals of National Poetry Month are to highlight the extraordinary legacy and ongoing achievement of American poets; to encourage the reading of poems; to assist teachers in bringing poetry into their classrooms; to increase the attention paid to poetry by national and local media; to encourage increased publication and distribution of poetry books; and to encourage philanthropic support for poets and poetry.
The following organizations helped make National Poetry Month 2017 possible: 826 National, the American Booksellers Association, the American Library Association, the Betsy South Beach Hotel, the Civitella Ranieri Foundation, Graywolf Press, the National Council of Teachers of English, the National Endowment for the Arts, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, the New York State Council on the Arts, O, Miami, Penguin Random House, the Poetry Foundation, Scholastic, and WQXR.
About the Academy of American Poets
The Academy of American Poets is the largest membership-based nonprofit organization fostering an appreciation for contemporary poetry and supporting American poets. The organization produces Poets.org, the world’s largest publicly-funded website for poets and poetry; National Poetry Month; the popular Poem-a-Day series; American Poets magazine; Teach This Poem and other resources for K-12 educators; an annual series of poetry readings and special events; and awards the American Poets Prizes.
Contact: Michelle Campagna, (212) 274-0343, ext. 22, [email protected]