On April 17, 2013, the Academy of American Poets held its 11th annual benefit reading, Poetry & the Creative Mind, at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center. Noted actors, musicians, journalists, and artists participated in this extraordinary evening celebrating poetry's vital place in American culture. The reading celebrates and raises funds to support National Poetry Month, established by the Academy in 1996 and now the largest literary celebration in the world.

Special guest readers were Jad Abumrad, Mario Batali, Dick Cavett, Patricia Clarkson, Tyne Daly, Jake Gyllenhaall, Glen Hansard, National Student Poet Claire Lee, Stew, Rose Styron, Amber Tamblyn, and Kathleen Turner. Calvin Trillin served as master of ceremonies.