New York, NY (October 27, 2022)—The Academy of American Poets is pleased to announce that Marc Brown, author, illustrator, and creator of the popular Arthur book and PBS television series, will design the official poster for the April 2023 occasion of National Poetry Month. Brown was selected by Scholastic, the world’s largest publisher and distributor of children’s books, to design the poster as part of a new National Poetry Month collaboration between Scholastic and the Academy of American Poets. Each year, the Academy distributes the poster free-of-charge to 85,000+ schools, libraries, and bookstores nationwide for the literary celebration.
“Scholastic is incredibly proud to partner with the Academy of American Poets for National Poetry Month. We know from the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards that poetry is a powerful medium for students which builds on why it is equally thrilling to have SAWA program alum Marc Brown creating the 2023 poster,” said Billy DiMichele, Scholastic senior vice president.
The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards is the nation’s longest-running and most prestigious recognition program for creative teens. 2023 marks the one hundredth anniversary of the program, which was created by the founder of Scholastic, Maurice R. Robinson, and is administered today by the nonprofit organization the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers.
“We’re thrilled to be partnering with Scholastic and Marc Brown, as well as our friends at the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, to introduce tens of thousands of young people to poetry this April during National Poetry Month, sparking what we hope will be a lifelong appreciation for the art form and reading,” said Jen Benka, president & executive director of the Academy of American Poets.
The poster design, which will feature excerpted lines of poetry by U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón, will be revealed in January 2023.
National Poetry Month, created and organized by the Academy of American Poets, is the largest literary celebration in the world with tens of millions of people celebrating poetry in their communities each April. Throughout the month, the Academy of American Poets provides free resources to teachers, serves as the main online information hub, promotes local and national events like Poem in Your Pocket Day, and distributes the official National Poetry Month poster through partnerships with the American Booksellers Association, the American Library Association, and the National Council of Teachers of English. The poster is also available for free upon request on the organization’s website, Poets.org.
About Marc Brown
Marc Brown is the author and illustrator of the bestselling Arthur series and executive producer of Arthur on PBS. The show has won seven Emmys, the Peabody Award, and the 2019 Television Critics Association (TCA) Award and is now the longest running children’s animated show in history. The Arthur books have sold more than seventy-five million copies, and the show is seen by children all around the world. Trained at the Cleveland Art Institute, Brown has created more than one hundred and thirty picture books for children. He is currently working on Hop, a new animated preschool television series and two other television productions based on book collaborations with R. L. Stine. He is married to psychologist and artist Laurie Krasny Brown, with whom he has collaborated on the bestselling Dino Life Guides for Families. Marc and Laurie divide their time between New York City and a small farm on Martha’s Vineyard. They have three grown children and two cats on dietary restrictions.
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 and beyond. The organization annually awards $1.3+ million to more than two hundred poets at various stages of their careers through its prize and fellowship programs. 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 free resources to K–12 educators, including the award-winning weekly Teach This Poem series; hosts an annual series of poetry readings and special events; and coordinates a national Poetry Coalition that promotes the value poets bring to our culture.
About Scholastic
For more than one hundred years, Scholastic Corporation (NASDAQ: SCHL) has been encouraging the personal and intellectual growth of all children, beginning with literacy. Having earned a reputation as a trusted partner to educators and families, Scholastic is the world’s largest publisher and distributor of children’s books, a leading provider of literacy curriculum, professional services, and classroom magazines, and a producer of educational and entertaining children’s media. The company creates and distributes bestselling books and e-books, print and technology-based learning programs for pre–K to grade 12, and other products and services that support children’s learning and literacy, both in school and at home. With fifteen international operations and exports to 165 countries, Scholastic makes quality, affordable books available to all children around the world through school-based book clubs and book fairs, classroom libraries, school and public libraries, retail, and online. Learn more at www.scholastic.com.