For poetry lovers, April is one of the best months of the year. It is National Poetry Month, and for those who observe, there are poetry-centered celebrations throughout the land.
Poetry Month was started in 1996 by the American Academy of Poets as a way of celebrating poetry and promoting poetry in schools and the wider world.
April 2026 is the 30th anniversary of the first-ever Poetry Month. The annual celebration continues to be acknowledged by a growing number of institutions. Some of the most notable are the American Library Association (ALA) and the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), which have included Poetry Month in their activities and outreach over the years.
Popular poetry month activities include open mic nights at schools, local libraries, cafes, and bookstores; poetry writing workshops, “poem in your pocket day” (a day where people carry a favorite poem with them), and getting poems in their email daily.
The Academy of American Poets commissions an official Poetry Month Poster each year.
The Academy’s website has a wealth of activities for people of all ages who would like to read, appreciate, write, or teach poetry.
Anyone interested in checking out the website can go to poets.org and/or search for “national poetry month.”
This year at Bay View, the library reached out to Woodland Pattern Bookstore, which has been a Milwaukee poetry outpost for years. Woodland Pattern hosted their 32nd Annual Poetry Marathon & Benefit this past January 24 & 25, 2026, at St. Kate’s in downtown Milwaukee.
Through Woodland Pattern, one poet led a poetry writing workshop with Mr. Deml’s second and third period classes, and the other led a workshop with the GSA. At the end of the period, each participating student left with a draft of their own personal poem.
For those unfamiliar with Woodland Pattern, the bookstore runs the Youth Literary Arts Program (YLAP) and is in charge of the Milwaukee Youth Poet Laureate program. The YLAP encourages students to read and discuss literature, and create writing and artwork related to humanities topics. The YLAP hosts two free inter-arts summer Poetry Camps, accommodating about 60 students, which include meals, workshops, field trips, a community reading, an anthology of their writing, and a $100 book credit. If interested in seeing more about Woodland Pattern, please check out Woodland Pattern at https://woodlandpattern.org/youth. Woodland Pattern will be moving to Bay View in Fall 2026.
