National Poetry Month 30th Anniversary

Celebrate National Poetry Month

Launched by the Academy of American Poets in April 1996, National Poetry Month celebrates the vital role poets play in our culture and affirms that poetry matters. What began as a national initiative has grown into the largest literary celebration in the world, engaging tens of millions of readers, students, educators, librarians, booksellers, publishers, families, and poets each year.

Get Involved

Each April, the Academy offers free programs, resources, and opportunities to make poetry part of daily life—at home, in classrooms, and across communities. There are many ways to take part:

Display the official National Poetry Month poster in your classroom, workplace, or community space
Explore thirty years of posters in the National Poetry Month poster archive.
Find ideas for celebrating at home, online, and in the classroom
Attend Poetry & the Creative Mind on April 28, 2026—a free virtual benefit reading (registration required)
Discover events near you through the Poetry Near You calendar
Encourage students in grades five through twelve to participate in the Dear Poet Project
Sign up for Poem-a-Day to receive a free daily poem each morning in April
Share poems and celebrations on social media using #NationalPoetryMonth
Follow the Academy (@POETSorg) for poems and resources throughout the month
Carry and share a poem on Poem in Your Pocket Day, April 30
Add the official National Poetry Month logo to your events
Support poetry education with a donation

Featured Programs

Poetry & the Creative Mind
Tuesday, April 28, 2026 at 7:30 p.m. ET
A virtual benefit reading. Free and open to all; registration required.

Poem in Your Pocket Day
Celebrate on April 30 by carrying a poem with you and sharing it throughout the day.

Dear Poet
A multimedia education project inviting students in grades five through twelve to write letters in response to poems by award-winning poets.

National Poetry Month Poster
Each year’s poster features a commissioned design celebrating poetry’s place in our lives. Print this year's copy or explore the archive.

Sponsors and Support

National Poetry Month is made possible in part by the generous support of sponsors whose commitment helps bring poetry into classrooms, libraries, and communities nationwide.

Learn more about the 2026 sponsors and partners.

Stay Connected

• Academy of American Poets Newsletter
• Educator Newsletter
• Teach This Poem
• Poem-a-Day

Support Poetry

Help sustain free poetry programs and resources:

• Become a member
• Make a donation
• Make a bequest
• Advertise with us

Features

Penguin Random House, the Poetry Foundation, W. W. Norton & Company, Alfred A. Knopf, Copper Canyon Press

2026 National Poetry Month Sponsors & Partners

Our Thanks

National Poetry Month is made possible in part through the generous support of these sponsors: Penguin Random House, the Poetry Foundation, W. W. Norton & Company, Alfred A. Knopf, Copper Canyon Press, 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, Stadler Center at Bucknell University, The Song Cave, University of Wisconsin Press, Alaska Quarterly Review, BOA Editions, Ltd., CavanKerry Press, City Lights Booksellers & Publishers, Four Way Books, Modern Language Association of America, Persea Books, Ploughshares, the National Writing Project, and The Kenyon Review, whose support helps bring poetry to classrooms, libraries, and communities nationwide.