Today, April 26, 2018, we’re celebrating Poem in Your Pocket Day – and we hope you’ll join us!

On this day, select a poem, carry it with you, and share it with others at schools, bookstores, libraries, parks, workplaces, street corners, and on social media using the hashtag #pocketpoem. – The American Academy of Poets (Poets.org)

Each year we partner with The American Academy of Poets to create a shareable booklet of poetry from here and there. You’ll also find lots of great tips on how to fill your days (and pockets) with poetry. You can download a PDF version of the booklet here – feel free to copy, print, and share any and all of these poems widely; that’s what the booklet is made for! This year’s booklet includes the winning poems from our National Broadsheet and Haiku Contests plus the Jessamy Stursberg Poetry Prize for Canadian Youth (junior and senior).

It’s Poem in Your Pocket Day; but why not carry a Poet with you, too? Jenn Woodall illustrated four Canadian poetry heavyweights for the occasion! Each in their own way, these poets have contributed to the establishment, development, growth, and continued richness of Canadian poetry – in Canada and abroad – and we’re excited to have these illustrations of Dennis Lee, Gwendolyn MacEwen, Lee Maracle, and M. NourbeSe Philip for you to print out and carry with you this Poem in Your Pocket Day. Download high-res photos by clicking on each illustration.  These poets have been widely anthologized, published, and shared so we encourage you to find a poem of theirs that strikes you and add that to your pocket today.

 

If you’re wondering which poems are filling the League staff members’ pockets, follow us on Twitter at @CanadianPoets today!