As part of a collaboration with the Library of Congress, the Academy of American Poets invites the serving U. S. Poet Laureate to guest edit our Poem-a-Day series during National Poetry Month. In 2023, Ada Limón will curate the month of April. Limón’s April curation marks the third U.S. poet laureate to do so; Tracy K. Smith edited the series in 2018 and 2019, followed by Joy Harjo in 2020.

Read Guest Editor interviews with SmithHarjo, and Limón, and browse through their Poem-a-Day curations below. 


 

 

Joy Harjo’s 2020 National Poetry Month curation

I believe what makes Poem-a-Day essential, and why it attracts such a large readership, is the wide-ranging selection of poets and poems from month to month. In my curation, I wanted to make sure that a variety of generations, styles, voices, and aesthetics were represented. —Joy Harjo

Tracy K Smith’s 2019 National Poetry Month curation

What delights me is that, even across a range of voices, there are shared themes and concerns. I think poets are busy processing the questions and anxieties arising from our current moment, and American poetry is enriched by that willingness to dig in. —Tracy K Smith

Tracy K Smith’s 2018 National Poetry Month curation