April is National Poetry Month. The Poetry Foundation has some great articles and podcasts on their website, including a Poem of the Day series and Essential American Poets, among many others. Poetry Northwest also has a podcast featuring interviews with poets. Also, check out Poems for Spring from the Academy of American Poets.
- Order a free National Poetry Month poster and display it at work or school.
- Sign up for Poem-a-Day and read a poem each morning.
- Sign up for Teach This Poem, a weekly series for teachers.
- Memorize a poem.
- Create an anthology of your favorite poems on Poets.org.
- Encourage a young person to participate in the Dear Poet project.
- Buy a book of poetry from your local bookstore.
- Review these concrete examples of how poetry matters in the United States today.
- Learn more about poets and poetry events in your state.
- Ask your governor or mayor for a proclamation in support of National Poetry Month.
- Attend a poetry reading at a local university, bookstore, cafe, or library.
- Read a poem at an open mic. It’s a great way to meet other writers in your area and find out about your local poetry writing community.
- Start a poetry reading group.
- Write an exquisite corpse poem with friends.
- Chalk a poem on the sidewalk.
- Deepen your daily experience by reading Edward Hirsch’s essay “How to Read a Poem.”
- Ask the United States Post Office to issue more stamps celebrating poets.
- Recreate a poet’s favorite food or drink by following his or her recipe.
- Read about different poetic forms.
- Read about poems titled “poem.”
- Celebrate National Poem in Your Pocket Day on April 21, 2016. The idea is simple: select a poem you love, carry it with you, then share it with coworkers, family, and friends.
- Subscribe to American Poets magazine or a small press poetry journal.
- Watch Rachel Eliza Griffiths’s P.O.P (Poets on Poetry) videos.
- Watch or read Carolyn Forche’s talk “Not Persuasion, But Transport: The Poetry of Witness.”
- Read or listen to Mark Doty’s talk “Tide of Voices: Why Poetry Matters Now.”
- Read Allen Ginsberg’s classic essay about Walt Whitman’s “Leaves of Grass.”
- Watch a poetry movie.
- Sign up for a poetry class or workshop.
- Get ready for Mother’s Day by making a card featuring a line of poetry.
- Read the first chapter of Muriel Rukeyer’s inspiring book The Life of Poetry.