Poems for Mother's Day & Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month

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May 2023
Mother’s Day is May 14. Celebrate with kid-friendly poems about mothers and motherhood:


My Mama moved among the days” by Lucille Clifton 
like a dreamwalker in a field...

Dear Mama (4)” by Wanda Coleman
when did we become friends?

i know the grandmother one had hands” by Jaki Shelton Green
but they were always in bowls...

The Raincoat” by Ada Limón
When the doctor suggested surgery...

La suavecita” by Lupe Mendez
We dress my daughter in amarillo, not butter...

Sleeping in Late with My Mother” by Cristin O’Keefe Aptowicz
She apologizes. It’s not like her. She’s usually up by six...

How Becoming a Mother is Like Space Travel” by Catherine Pierce
The astronaut told us / he didn’t look out the window...

The Dear Poet 2023 letters are here!

This PDF booklet contains poems and letters from the poets who participated in Dear Poet 2023, followed by students’ letters and the poets’ responses. The Academy is grateful to all the educators who use the program and for each and every student letter we receive. 

Read, download, and share the 2023 Dear Poet Booklet.

May is Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month. Bring the work of AAPI poets into the classroom and browse lesson plans featuring work by Rabindranath Tagore, Ocean Vuong, Kimiko Hahn and many other classic and contemporary poets.

Prepare for next month: LGBTQ Pride Month: Poems for Kids
Spring: Poems for Kids
Celebrate Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month with poems to read and share:

[I come weary,]” by Matsuo Basho
I Invite My Parents to a Dinner Party” by Chen Chen
On How to Use this Book” by Sarah Gambito
Haikai” by Sadakichi Hartmann
The Gift of India” by Sarojini Naidu
Fire Dragon” by Sage Uʻilani Takehiro
Kissing in Vietnamese” by Ocean Vuong
Music from Childhood” by John Yau
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Join us for the 51st Annual City College of New York (CCNY) Poetry Festival, which will feature a reading by the guest poet of honor Gloria Mindock, as well as readings by elementary and junior high school students and the winners of the high school student poetry contest. Friday, May 12 from 9:15 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET at the Aaron Davis Hall in the Marian Anderson Theater, 133rd St. and Convent Avenue, New York, NY. Learn more
 
Poems for Graduation

On graduation day, friends and family often turn to poetry to express what they would like to pass on to the next generation—a few lines of guidance, a gesture toward possibility. Find poems by Robert FrostLangston Hughes, Joy Harjo, and others:

When I Grow Up I Want to Be a List of Further Possibilities” by Chen Chen
For the Graduation: Bolinas, 1972” by Robert Creeley
That Everything’s Inevitable” by Katy Lederer
Next Time Ask More Questions” by Naomi Shihab Nye
The Future Is Here” by Bianca Stone
Theories of Time and Space” by Natasha Trethewey
Monday, April 3
Monday, April 10
Monday, April 17
Monday, April 24
Reflections” by Ameen Rihani
Cherry blossoms” by Toi Derricotte
The Creative Drive” by Catherine Barnett
the poem is a dream telling you its time” by Marwa Helal
Join Texas poet laureate and 2022 Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellow Cyrus Cassells in honoring the winners of What Juneteenth Means (To Me), a poetry contest for Texas students in grades eight through twelve that encourages exploration of the events that make Juneteenth such a significant holiday. Saturday, May 20, at 10 a.m. CDT at the Neil-Cochran House Museum in Austin, Texas. 

The winners of the 2023 contest were chosen by Texas historian Martha Hartzog and Texas-based poets Jennifer Chang, Amanda Johnston, and Roger ReevesThe Texas Observer will feature first place winner Samiyah Green’s poem, “The Pantoum,” in the July/August issue of the magazine. 
 
Happy Teacher Appreciation Week! Thank you for your work bringing poetry into the classroom year-round. We’re happy to be able to offer hundreds of free lesson plans, essays, and other resources, and we wish you and your students health and safety.
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Older messages

"I open the dawn of a new world"

Tuesday, May 9, 2023

May 9, 2023 Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month “I Want the Wide American Earth” by Carlos Bulosan “So Chinese Girl” by Dorothy Chan “Barbie Chang Got Her Hair Done” by Victoria Chang “The Good

"My Life Closed Twice" by Cameron Awkward-Rich

Tuesday, May 9, 2023

Liz, I think her name was, the woman / my mother brought me to. We played Facebook Twitter Instagram Support Poem-a-Day May 9, 2023 My Life Closed Twice Cameron Awkward-Rich Liz, I think her name was,

"Amsterdam" by Safia Elhillo

Monday, May 8, 2023

Concentric ripple of the canals, little apartment Facebook Twitter Instagram Support Poem-a-Day May 8, 2023 Amsterdam Safia Elhillo after Jenny Xie Concentric ripple of the canals, little apartment at

"[A frail hepatica]" by Jun Fujita

Sunday, May 7, 2023

A frail hepatica / Shyly holds its fragrance Facebook Twitter Instagram Poem-a-Day is reader-supported. In honor of National Poetry Month, please consider making a gift to help cover the costs of this

"Though from Here I Can’t Smell the Smoke" by Allison Hutchcraft

Saturday, May 6, 2023

In medieval frescoes haloed saints are edged in flame Facebook Twitter Instagram Support Poem-a-Day May 6, 2023 Though from Here I Can't Smell the Smoke Allison Hutchcraft In medieval frescoes

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