10 Ways to Celebrate National Poetry Month

April is National Poetry Month, and with that in mind, we have compiled a list of resources about the current state of poetry in America, from poetry events to laureates to poetry projects happening this month and year round. Join the Library on April 30th at 6 pm for an all-ages poetry read-aloud in celebration of Poem in Your Pocket Day! For more information on that event, click here.

1. Academy of American Poets | https://poets.org/academy-american-poets/ Founded in 1934 to support American poets at all stages of their careers and to foster the appreciation of contemporary poetry— the producer of Poets.org, Poem-a-Day, National Poetry Month, and more.
2. Joy Harjo: Poet Laureate of the United States | https://guides.loc.gov/poet-laureate-joy-harjo/ Appointed to her third consecutive term as Poet Laureate of the United States, Joy Harjo’s signature project is “Living Nations, Living Words,” which maps contemporary Native American poets across the country.
3. National Youth Poet Laureate | https://www.youthlaureate.org/home The National Youth poet Laureate Program celebrates our nation’s top youth poets that are committed to artistic excellence, civic engagement, and social justice. 
4. Poetry Foundation | https://www.poetryfoundation.org/ The Poetry Foundation, publisher of Poetry magazine, is an independent literary organization committed to a vigorous presence for poetry in our culture. It exists to discover and celebrate the best poetry and to place it before the largest possible audience 
5. Poetry Society of America |  https://poetrysociety.org/ The Poetry Society of America’s mission is to build a larger and more diverse audience for poetry, to encourage a deeper appreciation of the vitality and breadth of poetry in the cultural conversation, to support poets through an array of programs and awards, and to place poetry at the crossroads of American life.
6. Poetry Society of New York | https://poetrysocietyny.org/ The Poetry Society of New York has a simple mission: to redefine and reestablish poetry’s essential position in the culture-at-large. 
7. Favorite Poem Project | http://www.favoritepoem.org/ The Favorite Poem Project, described as “Americans saying the poems they love,” is dedicated to celebrating, documenting and encouraging poetry’s role in our lives. Robert Pinsky, the 39th Poet Laureate of the United States, founded the Favorite Poem Project shortly after the Library of Congress appointed him to the post in 1997.
8. Poem in Your Pocket Day | https://poets.org/national-poetry-month/poem-your-pocket-day/ Poem in Your Pocket Day takes place every year on a day in National Poetry Month. This year, the event will take place on April 29th. Email a poem to your friends, family, neighbors, or local government leaders. Select a poem and share it on social media using the hashtag #pocketpoem. Or you can join the Library on April 30 at 6 pm for an all-ages read-aloud event. 
9. A Playlist of Poets (PBS) | https://www.pbs.org/articles/2020/04/a-playlist-of-poets-for-national-poetry-month/ A selection of video clips compiled by PBS of “the ones we call bards, rhymesters, lyricists, wordsmiths, and versifiers.” 
10. National Association for Poetry Therapy | https://poetrytherapy.org/ Poetry therapy is the use of language, symbol, and story in therapeutic, education, growth, and community-building capacities. It relies upon the use of poems, stories, song lyrics, imagery, and metaphor to facilitate personal growth, healing, and greater self-awareness.