Poem-a-Day - Bring Poetry to Life in the Classroom

a unique oppportunity to connect with living poets

We’re thrilled to present Dear Poet 2025, our multimedia education project that invites students in grades five through twelve to write letters in response to celebrated poets reading their work in a series of recorded videos. Participating poets will reply to a set of student letters and a selection of these correspondences will be published by the Academy in a special booklet this summer. Each participating student will receive a certificate honoring their contribution to the project.

Dear Poet 2025, which is now accepting submissions through April 24, features readings by Academy Chancellors Jericho Brown, Natalie Diaz, Kimiko Hahn, and Afaa Michael Weaver, as well as former Academy Chancellor Anne Waldman and award-winning poets Nickole Brown, Denice Frohman, Joy Ladin, and Meg Day, whose poem is interpreted in American Sign Language.

Start the Dear Poet Project

celebrate national poetry month with your own poetry poster

Educators, librarians, and poetry lovers of all ages can order a free copy of this year’s National Poetry Month poster, which we’ll distribute to over 80,000 classrooms, libraries, bookstores, homes, and community spaces for the April celebration.

Designed by New York Times-bestselling author and illustrator Christy Mandin, the poster features a powerful excerpt from the poem “Gate A-4” by former Young People’s Poet Laureate and Academy Chancellor Naomi Shihab Nye: “This is the world I want to live in. The shared world.”

A lesson plan featuring Nye’s poem will be available through the Academy’s Teach This Poem newsletter on March 10, 2025. If you haven’t already, sign up for Teach This Poem to receive this additional educational resource and bring the poster to life for National Poetry Month.

Get the Official Poster

Teachers, 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.

The Academy of American Poets

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Poem-a-Day - Bring Poetry to Life in the Classroom

Older messages

“To a Young Poet” by Zaina Alsous

"Because there is no medicine for being in love, except for more love"

“Centaur over Tomer Butte” by Robert Wrigley

“Sonnet for the Chickens” by Tom Healy

“Dear Sister” by Emma Trelles

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