2019 National Poetry Month

National Poetry Month is the largest literary celebration in the world marking poetry’s important place in our culture and our lives. The American Library Association is one of the sponsoring organizations of National Poetry Month.

National Poetry Month aims 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.

Look at the 30 ways to celebrate Poetry Month to get ideas on how increase attention to poetry and encourage support of poetry.

One of the 30 ways is to sign up for Poem-A-Day. By listing your email address, you will be sent a poem a day.

April 18th is Poem in Your Pocket Day. Every April, on Poem in Your Pocket Day, people celebrate by selecting a poem, carrying it with them, and sharing it with others.

The 2019 Poster: For the first time, the official National Poetry Month poster features artwork by a high school student: tenth grader Julia Wang from San Jose, California. The poster incorporates lines from the poem "An Old Story" by current U. S. Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith.