Poem in Your Pocket Day

A Program of National Poetry Month

Poem in Your Pocket Day 2026 will take place on April 30.

Poem in Your Pocket Day takes place every year during National Poetry Month.

How to Participate

Find a short or resonant poem from the Poem in Your Pocket Day PDF or the Poets.org search tool. You may also want to use 826 National’s one-page zine that features the poem “Pockets” by 12th grader Rowan Y., appropriate for K-12 students.
Print it, fold it (instructions for an origami swan are available here), or create your own simple format for sharing.
Share your poem—however you like:

Hand out copies in your school, workplace, or community.
Post a poem or record a video of yourself reading one on social media using #PocketPoem.
Email a poem to friends, family, neighbors, or local government leaders.
Read a poem aloud—in person or over video.
Add a poem to your email signature.
Share a poem out loud from your porch, window, backyard or outdoor space.

Poetry is meant to travel. However you share it, the goal is simple: put a poem into someone else’s day.

Discover more ways to celebrate National Poetry Month at Poets.org/npm. Teachers, visit our classroom resources page.

FAQ

Do I need to request the rights to share a poem?
For personal, noncommercial use—like handing out copies, sharing with friends, or posting on social media—it is generally fine to share a poem, especially when you include the poet’s name and source.
If you plan to reprint poems in materials distributed widely (such as textbooks, publications, or other commercial uses), you should request permission from the publisher or rights holder.

Do I need to memorize the poem?
No. You can read it from the page, your phone, or a printed copy. It’s about sharing, not performing.

Can I share my own poem?
Yes. You can share a poem you’ve written or one by another poet—both are welcome.

How long should the poem be?
Short works best. A few lines or a brief poem makes it easy for someone to read, keep, and pass along.

Where can I find poems to share?
You can use the Poem in Your Pocket Day PDF or browse poems on Poets.org.

What is the history of Poem in Your Pocket Day?
Poem in Your Pocket Day was initiated in April 2002 by the Office of the Mayor in New York City, in partnership with the city’s Departments of Cultural Affairs and Education. In 2008, the Academy of American Poets took the initiative to all fifty United States, encouraging individuals around the country to participate. In 2016, the League of Canadian Poets extended Poem in Your Pocket Day to Canada.

See How Communities Celebrate Poem in Your Pocket Day

In Charlottesville, Poem in Your Pocket Day has grown into a citywide tradition led by the Jefferson-Madison Regional Library. Each year, volunteers distribute thousands of poem scrolls across the city—in hospitals, libraries, schools, small businesses, and along the downtown pedestrian mall.

The response is immediate and personal. People return for more poems, share favorites from memory, and carry what they receive with them. It’s a simple idea, multiplied: one poem, passed from hand to hand, until it belongs to a whole community.

Poetry is best when shared. How did you celebrate? Let us know!

watch the video

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.

National Poetry Month 30th Anniversary

National Poetry Month was inaugurated by the Academy of American Poets in April 1996. Over the years, it has become the largest literary celebration in the world with schools, publishers, libraries, booksellers, and poets celebrating poetry’s vital place in our culture.

Dear Poet 2026

Engage directly with award-winning poets as part of National Poetry Month.

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.

Poem in Your Pocket Day