April is National Poetry Month

Cooped up, locked down, in your homes,
April is the month to celebrate poems.
A group of poets, called the AAP,
Reminds us to read and share poetry.

There’s nothing like a happy verse,
To take your mind off something worse.
Read poems of courage to help you face,
One more day of shelter-in-place.

The AAP lists thirty ways
To build poetry into your April days.
Read a poem every day.
The Poet Laureate will show you the way.

Memorize poems. Share them when you talk.
Write them in colors with sidewalk chalk.
Go to virtual readings, start online poetry groups.
Read poems about sports, like those who shoot hoops.

Read a poem, write a letter,
Write a poem, even better!
Some have shared poems after riding a rocket,
But it’s simpler by far to keep poems in your pocket.

So go explore poems. Keep this in your minds:
There are poems and poems of all different kinds.
A month full of poetry in the US of A.
Be thankful. In England, they just get one day!

April is National Poetry Month in the US. The idea of the month is to encourage people to read and share poetry, and to remind people about great poems and poets.

National Poetry Month was started in the US in 1996 by a group called the Academy of American Poets (AAP). The US is not the only country to celebrate poetry. In 1999, Canada also decided to use April as National Poetry Month. In the UK, poetry is usually celebrated on a single day in October called National Poetry Day. UNESCO, a part of the United Nations, chose March 21 as their World Poetry Day.

This year, because of the coronavirus  pandemic, the AAP realizes that people are facing special challenges. The group believes that poetry can bring strength and comfort to people in times like these.

The AAP has made a list of ways that people can celebrate poetry during April. Some of the ideas include memorizing poems, writing to poets, joining online poetry groups, writing poems in sidewalk chalk, and carrying poems in your pocket.

The group’s website features a new poem every day. During April, the poems are chosen by US Poet Laureate Joy Harjo. The Poet Laureate is the official poet of the US and is chosen by the Librarian of Congress.

Others are joining the AAP in National Poetry Month. A group called “Poetry in America” has created a follow-up to its first TV series. It will start during April as part of National Poetry Month. The series has interviews with poets, as well as artists, scientists, singers, politicians, and even a supreme court justice.

Basketball fan Tom Erickson got in the spirit of National Poetry month by writing 34 haikus about Giannis Antetokounmpo. He is sharing one each day on social media.  Why 34 haikus instead of 30? To match Antetokounmpo’s number.

In 2012, astronaut Donald Pettit set the record for taking part in National Poetry Month from farthest away. Mr. Pettit wrote poems while he was on the International Space Station, and shared them with people back on earth.