Celebrate Poetry!


National Poetry Month

What is National Poetry Month?

National Poetry Month is the largest literary celebration in the world, with tens of millions of readers, students, K-12 teachers, librarians, booksellers, literary events curators, publishers, bloggers, and, of course, poets marking poetry’s important place in our culture and our lives every April.

Who started it?

Inspired by the successful celebrations of Black History Month (February) and Women's History Month (March), the Academy of American Poets established National Poetry Month in 1996. Along the way we enlisted a variety of government agencies and officials, educational leaders, publishers, sponsors, poets, and arts organizations to help. National Poetry Month is a registered trademark of the Academy of American Poets.

What are the goals of National Poetry Month?

The goals of National Poetry Month are to:

  • highlight the extraordinary legacy and ongoing achievement of American poets

  • encourage the reading of poems

  • assist teachers in bringing poetry into their classrooms

  • increase the attention paid to poetry by national and local media

  • encourage increased publication and distribution of poetry books, and

  • encourage support for poets and poetry.


Text courtesy of the Academy of American Poets, https://poets.org/national-poetry-month/faq

Poem in Your Pocket Day

Poem in Your Pocket Day is held each year in late April and is part of National Poetry Month. On this day, select a poem, carry it with you, and share it with others at schools, bookstores, libraries, parks, workplaces, street corners, and on social media using the hashtag #pocketpoem.

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.