Poets across the U.S. are ready for the largest literary celebration in the country; National Poetry Month. In 1996, the Academy of American Poets established National Poetry month in an attempt to increase awareness and appreciation of poetry in America.
The Academy of American Poets–along with the coordination of poets, booksellers, librarians, and teachers–chose the month of April for when poetry would be highly celebrated. By dedicating April toward the art of poetry, the idea encouraged poetry reading year-round.
The goals of National Poetry month include: increasing awareness for poetry through national and local media, motivating increased publication and distribution of poetry, highlighting the legacy and achievements of American poets, and reaching students by assisting teachers in bringing poetry into their classrooms by encouraging support for poets of all ages.
The Academy of American Poets celebrates National Poetry month with a variety of programs. The Dear Poet project helps teachers and students engage with the art of poetry in a meaningful way by tasking artists to create an official National Poetry Month poster. The poster is distributed free of charge to over 120,000 teachers, librarians, and booksellers nationwide.
The American Academy of Poets also provides resources. This includes downloadable poems, for National Poem in Your Pocket Day. A new poem is published every day through Poem-a-Day. A range of special events and readings are hosted in April, including the star-studded annual Poetry & the Creative Mind event.
The official source for news and information about National Poetry Month comes from The Academy of American Poets. They offer inspiration and resources for celebrating National Poetry Month on the local level, including tips for teachers and tips for librarians. They ensure that in each month of April, poetry gains national attention in the media by sending press releases to editors and journalists across the country.
What can we do to celebrate National Poetry month at home? According to Poets.org we can sign up for Poem-a-Day, curated by award-winning poet Jane Hirshfield, and read a poem each morning. You can also sign up to receive a free National Poetry Month poster, featuring lines by U.S. Poet Laureate Joy Harjo, or download the PDF of the poster.
Viewers can record themselves reading a poem, and share why they chose that work online using the hashtag #ShelterinPoems and subscribe to the Poem-a-Day podcast. The possibilities for celebrating this holiday are endless, the important thing is that we take time to acknowledge the beautiful art of poetry.
To celebrate the occasion the ASK Catalyst invites you to submit your original poetry so that it may be displayed on the ASK Catalyst website and students may keep their names anonymous if preferred. If you would like to submit your original poem, please send your original work to Ms. Hall through the email, lauriehall@theaskacademy.org.
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Written by: Moses Rangel
ASK Catalyst 
April 12, 2022
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