Poems are the perfect art form for our digitally-driven present. They’re compact and easy to share, and that makes it even more important to consider how they’re presented online.
Unfortunately, there are a number of websites that feature poems without obtaining proper permission from poets or publishers, which isn’t fair to poets and may violate U.S. copyright law. Additionally, all too frequently, the poems on these sites include typographical and other errors.
We strongly recommend that educators share poems from online publications and websites that:
- have obtained the permission of the poet or publisher as indicated by an appropriate credit line;
- have a professional editorial staff curating the poems and ensuring that there are no typographical or other errors;
- identify the people who manage the publication or website and provide contact information for their editorial office;
- publish poems without invasive advertising (such as commercial videos and animated, flashing or distracting advertisements adjacent to the poem);
- do not have bots voicing poems, as bots make mistakes and can’t convey human emotion and the beauty of language;
By modeling these best practices for finding poems, educators can be confident in the accuracy of the poetry they share and can help students learn to identify legitimate sources in the changing digital landscape.
Browse a collection of more than 9,500 poems, including these Poems for Kids.