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Celebrating Poetry: Home

April is National Poetry Month and we are celebrating with virtual read outs, "Poems from Home", and other poetry resources throughout the month.

National Poetry Month

"National Poetry Month was launched by the Academy of American Poets in April 1996 to remind the public that poets have an integral role to play in our culture and that poetry matters. Over the years, it has become the largest literary celebration in the world. Now, as we face unprecedented circumstances, National Poetry Month has taken on new meaning and importance." (The Academic of American Poets)

Youth Poet Laureate - Amanda Gorman

Today, I Am A Witness To Change

Ways to Share and Celebrate!

  1. Begin your virtual meetings or classes by reading a poem .
  2. Organize a poetry reading, open mic, or poetry slam via a video conferencing service. 
  3. Take a walk and write a poem outside (sidewalk chalk works well).
  4. Read and share poems about the environment in honor of Earth Day (April 22)
  5. Create a poem to virtually share on Poem in Your Pocket Day on April 29. 
  6. Sign up for poem-a-day

Poems from Home: poem in your pocket day 2021 in orange and gray text on a brown field. On the right, cartoon images of a gray cat and an orange cat.

Poems From Home: Readings from our Campus Community

UWSP Archivist Kyle Neill reads "Annabel Lee" by Edgar Allen Poe

There Once was a Puffin by Florence Page Jaques
Read by Sue Kissinger, Academic and Career Advising Center

My Courageous Life by David White
Read by Gretel Stock, Dean of University College

The River's Gift by Peggy Turnville
Read by Laurie Petri, Academic Librarian, UWSP@Marshfield

Falling Ship by Michael Estanich
Read by Michael Estanich, Chair, Dept. of Theatre & Dance

Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird by Wallace Stevens
Read by David Arnold, Department of English

To Earthward by Robert Frost
Read by Ross Tangedal, Dept of English & Cornerstone Press

Yes by Rudy Francisco
Read by Carrie Kline, University Library

Audio Poems From Home

Rainstick by Seamus Heaney
Read by Christopher Yahnke, College of Natural Resources

Wisconsin Poet Laureate - Dasha Kelly Hamilton

E-Books of Poetry

Shelter in Poems

During National Poetry Month, the Academy asks our readers to share a poem that helps to find courage, solace, and actionable energy, and a few words about how or why it does so.

As responses continue to arrive from across the globe, we invite you to continue sharing poems on social media with the hashtag #ShelterInPoems

When tagging on social media, the Academy will select some of your responses to feature on this special Shelter in Poems page. 

Poems for Kids