Shelter in Poems, a virtual reading

Join us for Shelter in Poems: a virtual reading of uplifting poems to bring us together.

In this unprecedented time, as more and more of us are turning to poetry, the Academy of American Poets launched Shelter in Poems, an initiative that invites poets and poetry lovers to share poems on social media that give them comfort or courage.

Shelter in Poems: A Virtual Reading extends this idea with a special offering of poems read by poets laureate, actors, musicians, artists, and more.

The evening will include poems presented by:

Elizabeth Alexander, President of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and award–winning poet



Sam Beam, singer–songwriter of Iron & Wine



Richard Blanco, fifth U.S. presidential inaugural poet and author



Julia Bullock, Grammy Award–nominated soprano 



Marilyn Chin, award–winning poet and author



Rita Dove, former U.S. Poet Laureate



Patrick Gaspard, President of the Open Society Foundations and former Ambassador to South Africa



Amanda Gorman, National Youth Poet Laureate



Joy Harjo, U.S. Poet Laureate



Juan Felipe Herrera, former U.S. Poet Laureate



Edward Hirsch, National Book Critics Circle Award–winning poet and national bestselling author



Stephin Merritt, songwriter and lead singer of The Magnetic Fields



Maulik Pancholy, “30 Rock” actor and author



Alison Pill, Tony Award–nominated actress



Dan Rather, Emmy Award–winning journalist



Alberto Ríos, National Book Award–nominated poet and author



Mustafa Shakir, “Luke Cage” actor and rapper



Naomi Shihab Nye, award–winning poet and author



Lorna Simpson, award–winning visual artist



Amber Tamblyn, Golden–Globe nominated actress, poet, and author



Natasha Trethewey, former U.S. Poet Laureate



and other special guests.



The event will raise funds to support our free publications and programs, including our K–12 education program.

As National Poetry Month comes to a close, many of us will have weathered a month of solitude in an act of solidarity to protect each other. During these weeks, poetry has brought us all closer together, even as we remain physically apart.

We look forward to sharing an evening of poetry with you.