National Poetry Month

In 1996, the Academy of American Poets had a great idea. It introduced National Poetry Month. This is popular in the schools and libraries, and can be used to encourage poetry along different themes. This year's National Poetry Month Poster was designed by Paul Sahre -- it is a question written on a steamy window: "Do I Dare Disturb the Universe?" I handed a copy of the poster to my college-age daughter and she snapped it up! That is a very good sign.

The Academy of American Poets website includes a tab especially for educators called the Online Poetry Classroom. One program that is co-sponsored by the National Council of Teachers of English is the Poetry Read-a-Thon.

There is also a "Young People's Poetry Week in April, sponsored by the Children's Book Council. Year-round is the Library of Congress-sponsored Poetry 180 - a poem a day for American High School Students. Have you looked at the Library of Congress' Poetry "home" page to see what's happening?

My favorite poem appears above in the second line of the blog title:
The more you read, the more you know.
The more you know, the smarter you grow.
The smarter you grow, the stronger your voice, when speaking your mind, or making your choice. - anon.

In years past, the American Library Association's Young Adult Library Services Association promotes poetry slams and other poetry programs. Ever text message mini-poems to your friends or family? It is one fun way to catch their attention!