New York, NY (March 21, 2022)— The Academy of American Poets, in partnership with the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, invites you to participate in the twentieth annual Poem in Your Pocket Day on April 29, 2022 to culminate this year’s National Poetry Month. Individuals are encouraged to celebrate by selecting a poem, carrying it with them, and sharing it with others throughout the day in classrooms, libraries, bookstores, workplaces, parks, and homes, as well as on social media using the hashtag #PocketPoem.
“I am a true believer in the power of poetry to inspire, to uplift, to break down the world around us and help us understand it— and one another— better," said New York City Cultural Affairs Commissioner Laurie Cumbo. "For National Poetry Month, we're thrilled to join our partners at the Academy of American Poets and the Department of Education to invite all New Yorkers to tap into their poetic impulses and share a love of language on the annual Poem in Your Pocket Day celebration. Mark your calendars for April 29!”
“Poem in Your Pocket Day is a highlight during National Poetry Month with thousands of students and people everywhere sharing poems. We’re grateful to New York City officials for inspiring the celebration, which we hope you’ll join this year on April 29,” said Jennifer Benka, executive director of the Academy of American Poets.
For the occasion, the Academy of American Poets and the League of Canadian Poets, the latter of which has organized National Poetry Month in Canada since 1998, have created a packet of ideas for celebrating along with suggested poems to read and share on April 29. To view and download the 2022 Poem in Your Pocket Day packet, visit: https://api.poets.org/sites/default/files/resources/PoemInYourPocketDay2022_0.pdf.
Poem in Your Pocket Day was initiated in 2002 by the Office of the Mayor of New York City, in partnership with the Departments of Cultural Affairs and Education. In 2008, the Academy of American Poets took the initiative to all fifty states, and in 2016 the League of Canadian Poets extended it to Canada.
To learn more about Poem in Your Pocket Day 2022 and to participate in the celebration, visit: https://poets.org/national-poetry-month/poem-your-pocket-day.
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. The organization annually awards more funds to individual poets than any other organization through its prize program, giving a total of $1.25 million to more than 200 poets at various stages of their careers. The organization also produces Poets.org, the world’s largest publicly funded website for poets and poetry; organizes National Poetry Month; publishes the popular Poem-a-Day series and American Poets magazine; provides award-winning resources to K–12 educators, including the Teach This Poem series; hosts an annual series of poetry readings and special events; and coordinates a national Poetry Coalition working together to promote the value poets bring to our culture.