Coming Winter 2023/24: National Poetry Month 2024 Theme Announcement!
National Poetry Month 2023: JOY
joy is. reading by a window with a soft blanket. an old plant with a new bloom. a completed to-do-list. the first big snowfall. banana bread in the oven. the squeak of sand under bare feet. a cat purring on my lap. finding the perfect GIF to send to the groupchat. a hot cup of coffee. filling the page with unplanned words. freshly painted nails. still and quiet moments of solitude, when all there is to do is rest. cold, crisp mornings. the careful turn of an old book’s pages. a fresh bowl of ramen. feeling blessed and loved. setting a personal best. my favourite pair of sneakers. planting vegetables in the garden. sitting on the couch doing nothing, partner on one side, dog on the other. the crack of a home run. a warm cup of milky Earl Grey. a sunset from a plane window.
What does Joy mean to you?
National Poetry Month
Pick up some poetry
There are so many ways to incorporate poetry into your April 2023. The League of Canadian Poets is proud to share our NPM Celebration Collection which includes a variety of resources, activities, events and of course– poetry!
Celebrate NPM
National Poetry Month
Poem In Your Pocket Day
One day in every National Poetry Month is Poem In Your Pocket Day: an international movement that encourages people to center poetry within their daily interactions. On PIYP Day, select a poem, carry it with you, and share it with others at schools, bookstores, libraries, parks, workplaces, coffee shops, street corners, and on social media using the hashtag #PIYP
National Poetry Month 2023 Blog
Book Awards 2023: What is a poem you turn to for comfort or joy?
NPM23 Blog: Room for Little Joys by Prathna Lor
Plain-text: Poem In Your Pocket Day 2023
Book Awards 2023: What does JOY mean to you?
NPM23 Blog: 6 Activities to Spark Creative Joy
NPM23 Blog: Pulling Joy Forward by Elizabeth Mudenyo
NPM23 Blog: Rewilding Poetry Through Joy by Shannon Webb-Campbell
NPM23 Blog: Joy at the Door by Ash Winters
National Poetry Month 2023: Joy – Social Media Graphics
NPM 2022: Intimacy
Poem in Your Pocket Day 2022
NPM22 Blog: Why? And Why Now?: On Poetry and Companionship by Rob Taylor
A Gathering of Poets in Response to Peril
NPM22 Blog: An Ecology of Intimacy: Through the Lens of Poetry by Penn Kemp
NPM22 Blog: Poetic Intimacy by Fedana “Fefe” Toussaint
NPM22 Blog: Creating Intimacy Onstage by Charlie Petch
Book Awards 2022 – Shortlists
NPM22 Blog: Faded Poems and Intimate Connections: Ten Fragments on Writing and Translation by Yilin Wang
NPM22 Blog: Close Friends by David Delisca
NPM22 Blog: We Speak in Poetry by Hasan Namir
National Poetry Month began in the US in 1996, spearheaded by the Academy of American Poets on the steps of a post office in New York City. There, the story goes, Academy staff members handed out copies of T.S. Eliot’s poem, “The Waste Land,” which begins, “April is the cruellest month…” to individuals waiting in line to mail their tax returns.
Established in Canada in 1998, NPM now brings together schools, publishers, booksellers, literary organizations, libraries, and poets from across the country to celebrate poetry and its vital place in Canada’s culture.
Learn and discover more about past National Poetry Months: