National Poetry Month: archives

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.

Each year, the League of Canadian Poets selects a theme to ground our conversations, inspirations, and focus of National Poetry Month. LCP produces posters and bookmarks reflecting this theme, which are free to request for your home, school, library, or community!

Find the latest NPM updates at poets.ca/NPM.

Établie au Canada en 1998, le MNP rassemble les écoles, les maisons d’éditions, les librairies, les bibliothèques, les organismes littéraires et les poètes de partout au Canada afin de célébrer la vitalité d’une poésie bien ancrée au sein de la culture canadienne.

Chaque année, la Ligue des poètes canadiens choisit une thématique pour faire converger nos conversations, et nos inspirations pendant tout le mois d’avril. Que ce soit pour vous, votre école, votre bibliothèque, ou votre communauté, le Mois national de la poésie vous enverra gratuitement, sur demande, des signets et des affiches reflétant notre thématique.

National Poetry Month 2024: Weather

NPM24 poster - web

What Can a Poetry Review Do? | Jade Wallace

Writer, editor, and reviewer Jade Wallace considers the role of poetry reviews, and provides examples of what a poetry review can accomplish.

A note from your Poet Ambassador in Residence | Tara Borin

Tara Borin, inaugural Poet Ambassador in Residence for the League of Canadian Poets, shares a final reflection on their time spent in the role.

National Poetry Month 2023: Joy

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NPM 2023: Joy

The League of Canadian Poets invites you to celebrate the 25th National Poetry Month this April 2023! What will you read this National Poetry Month? What events will you organize, attend? Will you start your own poetry writing project? Will you write your first poem? Will you share your poetry online for the first time? This…

NPM23 Blog: Room for Little Joys by Prathna Lor

I was asked to write about joy and, to be honest, I’ve been having a hard time thinking about how to approach the subject. Now, that’s not to say I’m against joyful indulgence; in fact, if you asked anyone close to me, they’d probably tell you that I am the queen of relaxation. I eat…

National Poetry Month 2022: Intimacy

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Poem in Your Pocket Day 2022

Poem in Your Pocket Day – April 29, 2022 – is an international movement that encourages people to centre 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…

NPM22 Blog: Why? And Why Now?: On Poetry and Companionship by Rob Taylor

My mother is disappearing. Diagnosed with dementia six years ago, in recent months her confusion has redoubled, her memories leaving and arriving as unpredictably as fish to the surface of a pond. If she goes out of her house for a walk, she can’t always find her way back. If she wakes up after a…

National Poetry Month 2021: Resilience

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Poem in Your Pocket Day 2021

Poem in Your Pocket Day – April 29, 2021 – is an international movement that encourages people to centre 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…

NPM21 Blog: Broken and Beaten Things: On Resilience by Bertrand Bickersteth

Can you consider something resilient if it’s broken? This question emerges from my tendency to confuse persistence and resilience. There is a relationship, after all. To me, they are both impressive. Both have to do with a certain staying power. Both invoke a kind of underdog, against-all-odds achievement. But there is at least one key…

National Poetry Month 2020: A World of Poetry

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National Poetry Month 2020 Blog List

This National Poetry Month 2020 has been full of amazing poetry, poets, and community. In case you missed any of our amazing NPM Blog posts, here is a recap of all the thoughts, ideas, and reflections offered up by our esteemed group of NPM Blog poets. Thank you to all our contributors for your voices…

A World of Poetry and Fun

by Janet Rogers for National Poetry Month, April 2020 I am a full time writer. I am also single and child-free which makes being a full time writer, that much more fun. I mention this as a way to introduce my position as a global writer. I travel extensively for my career and I stay…

National Poetry Month 2019: Nature

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NPM19: Announcing a new award from the League of Canadian Poets!

To close out National Poetry Month 2019, the League is very excited to announce something big that we’re looking forward to launching this year… a brand new $10,000 poetry prize! We couldn’t think of a better way to say farewell to #NPM19 than to share something for rising talents in Canadian poetry to look forward…

Poem In Your Pocket Day 2019

Poem in Your Pocket Day – April 18, 2019 – is an international movement that encourages people to centre 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 #PocketPoem.…

National Poetry Month 2018: 20th Anniversary

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Poem In Your Pocket Day 2018

Poem in Your Pocket Day is an international movement that encourages people to centre 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 #PocketPoem. The 2018 Poem in Your…

#NPM18: LA POÉSIE PARTOUT | GUEST POST BY JONATHAN LAMY

de diffusion, de médiation et de dissémination de la poésie La poésie peut être faite partout, avoir lieu n’importe où. Voilà le principe fondateur de La poésie partout, un organisme à but non lucratif mis sur pied à Montréal en janvier 2017, dans le but d’inventer, produire, relier et diffuser des activités poétiques variées. La…

National Poetry Month 2017: Time

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POETS RESIST: NPM ON ALU, FINAL STRETCH

This content has been provided by All Lit Up, an online bookstore and blog run by the Literary Press Group for readers of emerging, quirky, and unabashedly Canadian literature by some of Canada’s finest independent publishers. One final, tremendous thanks to the great folks over at All Lit Up who have been curating and sharing…

NPM AND BEYOND: RECOMMENDATIONS

And just like that, National Poetry Month is nearly over — our hearts are heavy, and our to-read lists grew as much as they shrank this April. In our last NPM and Beyond! blog post, we wanted to chat with some of our shortlisted authors about their reading habits and recommendations. Find out what books…

National Poetry Month 2016: The Road

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HITTING THE ROAD: SASKATCHEWAN

Today on our virtual road trip we continue into the prairies, through endless skies and existential-dread-inducing amounts of beautiful expansive space. (A note from the author: I recently took a bus trip from Toronto to Whitehorse, and it was my first time in the prairies as an adult. I expected to be bored, because everybody…

THE TRAVELLING TEAM

As a special feature for National Poetry Month, we sat down with some members of the 2015 Toronto Poetry Slam team to find out about how travelling–and travelling as a team–affects the creative process and psyche. The TPS team is determined each year by several months of competitions culminating in two rounds of semifinals and…

Posters and themes: NPM 2015 and earlier

All NPM blog posts

NPM/MNP 2025: Theme, posters, & bookmarks (thème, affiches, et signets)

Celebrate National Poetry Month 2025 using the theme FAMILY! Célébrez le mois national de la poésie 2025 qui a comme thème la FAMILLE!

Read More about NPM/MNP 2025: Theme, posters, & bookmarks (thème, affiches, et signets)

What Can a Poetry Review Do? | Jade Wallace

Writer, editor, and reviewer Jade Wallace considers the role of poetry reviews, and provides examples of what a poetry review can accomplish.

Read More about What Can a Poetry Review Do? | Jade Wallace

A note from your Poet Ambassador in Residence | Tara Borin

Tara Borin, inaugural Poet Ambassador in Residence for the League of Canadian Poets, shares a final reflection on their time spent in the role.

Read More about A note from your Poet Ambassador in Residence | Tara Borin

The Joys and Challenges of Creating Collaborative Art | Manahil Bandukwala

Writer and editor Manahil Bandukwala writes about the rewards, challenges, and processes of creating collaborative art and poetry.

Read More about The Joys and Challenges of Creating Collaborative Art | Manahil Bandukwala

NPM24: Meet the shortlists

This National Poetry Month, find out more about the 15 poets shortlisted for the League’s annual book awards, including what weather inspires their writing!

Read More about NPM24: Meet the shortlists

Poem in Your Pocket Day 2024

Held in the last two weeks of National Poetry Month, Poem in Your Pocket Day is an international movement that encourages people to center poetry within their daily interactions. Poem in Your Pocket Day 2024 will be celebrated on April 18, 2024.

Read More about Poem in Your Pocket Day 2024