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National Poetry Month Turns 30: Join the Celebration This April
Explore free programs and resources from the Academy of American Poets designed to bring poetry into classrooms, communities, and everyday life, including Poem-a-Day, Poetry Near You, Dear Poet, and more.
New York, NY (March 26, 2026)—This April, the Academy of American Poets celebrates the thirtieth anniversary of National Poetry Month, welcoming people of all ages and backgrounds across the United States to engage with poetry in meaningful ways—both on and off the page—through free programs and resources.
Launched by the Academy in 1996, National Poetry Month has grown into the largest literary celebration in the world. For three decades, it has created opportunities to read, share, and experience poetry—at home, in classrooms, in libraries and bookstores, and online—affirming poetry’s place as a vital part of our culture.
Throughout April, the Academy offers a range of free programs, resources, and events designed to make poetry accessible to everyone.
Celebrate National Poetry Month through the Academy of American Poets’ Free Programs
Explore Poets.org
Poets.org is the Academy’s central hub for National Poetry Month, offering thousands of poems, essays, and resources for readers, educators, and students. Visitors can explore poems by theme, discover lesson plans and teaching tools, learn about poetic forms and terms, and find ways to participate in National Poetry Month—making it easy to bring poetry into classrooms, conversations, and lived experience.
Subscribe to Poem-a-Day
The Academy’s free Poem-a-Day series is open to anyone who would like to subscribe. Each weekday morning, subscribers receive a new, never before published poem by a contemporary poet delivered directly to their email inbox. On weekends classic poems are featured. In April, Guest Editor and Chancellor Emerita Dorianne Laux will curate a month of poems that reflect the range and vitality of poetry today.
Find Events with Poetry Near You
Poetry Near You is the Academy’s National Poetry Month calendar of events, featuring both virtual and in-person programs taking place across the country. Visitors can browse events by date or search by state to find readings, workshops, and community gatherings near them. Explore events or submit your own at Poets.org/poetry-near-you. Readers can also sign up for the Academy’s free weekly newsletter at Poets.org/signup, which in April will highlight a curated selection of Poetry Near You events alongside poems, resources, and opportunities to engage more deeply with poetry.
Request a National Poetry Month Poster
Each year, the Academy distributes tens of thousands of free posters to classrooms, libraries, bookstores, and individuals nationwide. The 2026 poster features artwork by Alfredo Richner and a quote by U.S. Poet Laureate and Chancellor Emeritus Arthur Sze. Free copies of the poster are available while supplies last at Poets.org/poster2026.
Attend Poetry & the Creative Mind on April 28
The Academy’s virtual benefit is a star-studded evening featuring celebrities reading inspiring and favorite poems. The 2026 event honors the Adrian Brinkerhoff Poetry Foundation and U.S. Poet Laureate and Chancellor Emeritus Arthur Sze. Since this event began in 2003, readers have included Uzo Aduba, Carrie Coon, Willem Dafoe, Claire Danes, Paul Giamatti, Ethan Hawke, Terrence Howard, Bill T. Jones, Wynton Marsalis, Liam Neeson, Susan-Lori Parks, Paul Simon, Patti Smith, Uma Thurman, Courtney B. Vance, Carrie Mae Weems, Dianne Wiest, and Malala Yousafzai, as well as frequent Honorary Event Cochair Meryl Streep. Donations raised through the event support the Academy’s K–12 poetry education programs. Register or donate at Poets.org/pcm.
Celebrate Poem in Your Pocket Day on April 30
Choose a poem to carry with you and share it with friends, family members, coworkers, classmates, or strangers throughout the day. This tradition highlights connection through poetry and invites people to experience its impact using #PocketPoem.
Participate in Dear Poet through May 15
Dear Poet is a free, interactive education project that invites students in grades five through twelve to write letters in response to poems by award-winning poets. Students can watch participating poets read their work on video at Poets.org/dearpoet and write letters in response. Students may also read and respond in Spanish to a poem by the fifth presidential inaugural poet Richard Blanco. Submissions for Dear Poet 2026 are open through May 15. Selected student letters receive personalized replies, and a collection of these letters and responses will be published in the summer.
National Poetry Month is made possible in part through the generous support of the Academy of American Poets’ sponsors, whose support helps bring poetry to classrooms, libraries, and communities nationwide. Presenting Partners include Penguin Random House, the Poetry Foundation, and W. W. Norton & Company. Partners include Alfred A. Knopf and Copper Canyon Press. Sponsors include HarperCollins/Ecco, Haymarket Books, the Jackson Center for Creative Writing at Hollins University, The Georgia Review, Wake Forest University Press, Wayne State University Press, and Wesleyan University Press. Contributors include the Stadler Center at Bucknell University, The Song Cave, and University of Wisconsin Press. Supporters include Alaska Quarterly Review, Boa Editions, Ltd., CavanKerry Press, City Lights Booksellers & Publishers, Four Way Books, The Kenyon Review, the Modern Language Association, the National Writing Project, Persea Books, and Ploughshares.
Visit Poets.org/npm to explore more events, free resources, and ways to participate, and visit Poets.org/donate-npm to donate.
About the Academy of American Poets
Founded in 1934, the Academy of American Poets is a leading publisher of contemporary poetry in the United States. The organization annually awards more than $1.3 million to poets at various stages of their careers through its prize program. It also produces Poets.org, the world’s largest publicly funded website for poets and poetry; organizes National Poetry Month each April; publishes the Poem-a-Day series and American Poets magazine; provides free resources to educators; hosts public poetry programs and special events; and coordinates a national Poetry Coalition that promotes the value poets bring to our culture. To learn more about the Academy of American Poets, including its staff, its Board of Directors, and its Board of Chancellors, visit Poets.org.
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