National Poetry Month: Five Things To Know
If you’re a poetry buff, budding poet, or just generally interested in all things literary, then you probably know that April is National Poetry Month, a full 30 days designed to celebrate and honor the art of poetry.
But here are five things you might not know:
National Poetry Month was established a little over 20 years ago in 1996. The event is organized by the Academy of American Poets whose website, Poets.org, is dedicated to promoting and supporting poets and their work.
Appointed by the Librarian of Congress, the role of US Poet Laureate was first established in the late 30s. This year’s poet laureate is Juan Felipe Herrera, who’s serving his second term. Herrera, born in California in 1948, is no stranger to the role as he was California’s Poet Laureate from 2012-2015.
Utah’s Poet Laureate is appointed by the Governor. The current poet laureate is Lance Larsen, associate chair of BYU’s English Department, where he’s taught since the early 90s. The author of several poetry collections, Larsen was the recipient of a 2007 Literature Fellowship in Poetry from the National Endowment of the Arts.
Do you have a student interested in poetry? Consider having him or her participate in Summit County’s Sixth Annual Poetry Recitation contest. Open to selected 4th and 5th graders throughout the county, the contest takes place at the Richins Auditorium on Tuesday, May 2 at 6pm. Interested students should contact Tori at the Summit County Library (435.615.3903). Recitations of a single memorized poem are judged for accuracy, interpretation, and presentation.
If you’re looking for other ways to celebrate, take a look at the post 30 Ways to Celebrate National Poetry Month to get inspiration.