National Poetry Month is just around the corner, with lots of yummy, creative stuff beginning Saturday, April 1. Celebrate with me? I’m challenging myself to write a poem a day for the month of April. Here are 30 other ideas you can try! Share you efforts here, in the comments field below or on our Facebook page here.
30 Ways to Celebrate National Poetry Month
- 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.”
- Watch a poetry movie.
- 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.”
- Celebrate Poem in Your Pocket Day today! The idea is simple: select a poem you love, carry it with you, then share it with coworkers, family, and friends.
- 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.
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