The History of National Poetry Month
During the month of April, a number of familiar events occur. These include the celebration of Easter and other religious holidays, April showers, and even the beginning of a new season for America’s favorite pastime, baseball. However, April is also a month-long celebration that the general public may not be aware of for National Poetry Month.
Started by the Academy of American Poets in 1996, National Poetry Month has become a celebration of poetry, poets, books, and magazine articles written to increase awareness of poetry in the public, as well as within the media. The month of April was chosen by the academy because it is a month when all schools can participate. This month focuses on the work of both past and present poets.
The Academy of American Poets is the most widely renowned organization within the United States that is dedicated to the art of poetry. Marie Bullock created the academy in 1934 in order to support American poets throughout all stages of their individual careers and to gather appreciation for poetry; she served as president of the academy for fifty-one years. The organization was officially incorporated as a non-profit organization in 1936. Mrs. Bullock had two goals in mind when creating the academy: To “support American poets,” and to “foster the appreciation of contemporary poetry.”
National Poetry Month is “the largest literary celebration in the world” and is just another way for the academy to achieve its goals. One purpose of National Poetry Month is to encourage more Americans to enjoy reading and writing poetry, while creating more interest in the art form. The academy also uses the month as a way to publicize poets and their work to the general public.
In order to increase interest of poetry in the American public, National Poetry Month has led school systems to increase the presence of poetry in the curriculum, as well as create a buzz throughout the local and national media. Notable sponsors of the academy are The New York Times and Random House. There are also a number of university presses that sponsor National Poetry Month and are highly involved in promoting it as April approaches. The academy encourages the increased publication and sale of poetry books during the month, and with increased awareness, more people are apt to enjoy all that the art of poetry has to offer.
According to the official website of the Academy of American Poets (www.poets.org), National Poetry Month is celebrated by them in a variety of ways. They publicize the event by contacting specific groups who can disseminate the message to a broader audience than they can alone. For example, the academy is responsible for distributing over 200,000 posters alerting booksellers, teachers, and librarians of the upcoming events during the month of April.
In order to make sure the media is aware of National Poetry Month, the academy mails out hundreds of thousands of press releases to journalists and editors nationwide. Due to the dedication that the academy displays, thousands of articles about poetry appear in magazines, newspapers, and on Internet websites.
Other ways that the academy supports the increased awareness of poetry include teaching a variety of workshops about hosting poetry readings, creating displays in bookstores, and giving tips on how to teach poetry to different audiences during the month of April.
Over the last twelve years, the academy has tried to create new and innovative ways to promote and achieve their goals. In 1998, the academy distributed over 100,000 free poetry books across the United States. Three years later, the academy opened a vote through the website encouraging the public to vote for the poet they would most like to see on a stamp. In all, 205 poets were nominated by over 10,000 people. The winner was Langston Hughes–a poet, playwright, novelist, and columnist–with 2,500 nominations. He is best recognized for the work that he wrote during the time period known as the Harlem Renaissance. In 2002, the United States Postal Service released the stamp commemorating Langston Hughes.
The following year, National Poetry Month started by introducing a “National Poetry Map,” which included a “state-by-state listing of poets, poetry journals, presses, organizations, conferences, bookstores, events, and writing programs.” The International Society of Poets parallels this map at the annual convention, displaying the hometowns of all our members across the globe. Each year we look for the new additions representing a continuation of our goal to spread the love of poetry.
In 2005, the academy celebrated the tenth anniversary of National Poetry Month by hosting ten readings in ten different cities across North America. The first reading was held in Vancouver, British Columbia, on April 1, and was hosted by members of the Association of Writers and Writing Programs. Other cities that were part of this event were Seattle, WA; Boston, MA; Tucson, AZ; Chicago, IL; Los Angeles, CA; Minneapolis, MN; Atlanta, GA; and Portland, OR. The event ended with a reading in Washington, D.C., and was hosted by Jorie Graham, author of numerous poetry collections and currently a professor at Harvard University.
Every year in celebration of National Poetry Month, the International Society of Poets sends staff members to schools and daycares in the local area to promote the art of poetry. This year’s events sent two members to introduce poetry to children at a local daycare. They reminded everyone that poetry can be fun by reading works of Dr. Seuss. Staff member Samantha Gloss attended an event for college students of Towson University where poets shared their own work and celebrated the release of the spring issue of the literary magazine Grub Street.
National Poetry Month continues to grow in popularity every year thanks to everyone who participates and encourages others to do the same. You do not need permission to celebrate National Poetry Month, nor do you need to celebrate the art of poetry only in the month of April. Poetry is something that can inspire and be celebrated all year long. Participating is highly encouraged and you can get all the information you need from the official website of the Academy of American Poets or on Poetry.com’s website.
References used to comprise this article were:
1. “Academy of American Poets.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. 16 April 2007. 7 June 2007 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academy_of_American_Poets>.
2. Poets.Org. from the Academy of American Poets. 1997 to 2007. The Academy of American Poets. 7 June 2007 <http://www.poets.org>.