Every National Poetry Month we present Dear Poet, a multimedia education project that invites young people in grades five through twelve to write letters in response to poems written and read by award-winning poets.

Cada més nacional de la poesía presentamos Dear Poet, un proyecto educacional multimedia que invita a jóvenes en grados cinco—doce a escribir cartas respondiendo a poemas escritos y recitados por poemas galardonados.

The submission period for Dear Poet 2025 will open January 22, 2025, and close on April 24, 2025.

Every letter will be read by a team of volunteers, and all students can expect a general response from the poet to whom they wrote, as well as a certificate honoring their work. Five letters to each of our nine participating poets will be selected at the end of National Poetry Month, and the poets will write a personalized response to the selected student letters. The letters will be published in a shareable, PDF booklet during the summer.

 

Helpful links

Dear Poet FAQ.

Use this Spark lesson plan from 826 National on exploring voice.

Use this Spark lesson plan from 826 National on exploring connections.

Read a brief essay about Dear Poet.

Read about one high school’s participation in the project.

Read letters from the 2024 Dear Poet project.