National Poetry Month 2025

April is National Poetry Month! As the Academy of American Poets states, it “celebrates poets’ integral role in our culture and that poetry matters.”  As a lifelong reader and a retired English teacher, poetry is close to my heart. Poems show our thoughts and feelings in a way no other writing can. Whether it’s a sonnet, a haiku, or even song lyrics, we can all find a poem that moves us. My favorite poem is “Mother to Son” by Langston Hughes—see my recent blog post about it at https://www.lynnlovegreen.com/post/black-history-month-mother-to-son-by-langston-hughes.

We can celebrate National Poetry Month in many ways, including attending poetry readings and events, participating in the Dear Poet Project, or receiving a Poem-A-Day in your in-box. Learn more at the Academy of American Poets website at https://poets.org/national-poetry-month.

Want some ideas of poems you can write? Try these ideas from the Anchorage Public Library’s  teen program. (If you live nearby, come see them on April 15 or 29! https://www.anchoragelibrary.org/events/events-for/teens)

Blackout Poetry: a type of poetry where you cover over words on a page with a black marker and the words left on the page form your poem.

Haiku: Japanese form of poetry—one common variation is three lines in this sequence: 5 syllables, 7 syllables, 5 syllables.

Tanaga: Filipino form of poetry—a common variation is four lines with 7 syllables each, often with the rhyme scheme of AABB or ABAB.

Happy National Poetry Month!