The first National Poetry Month in the United States was observed in 1996 to increase awareness and appreciation of poetry in America, and has been celebrated annually since 1999. On April 1, 1996, in observance of the first National Poetry Month, President Bill Clinton proclaimed:
National Poetry Month offers us a welcome opportunity to celebrate not only the unsurpassed body of literature produced by our poets in the past, but also the vitality and diversity of voices reflected in the works of today’s American poetry [….] Their creativity and wealth of language enrich our culture and inspire a new generation of Americans to learn the power of reading and writing at its best.
Celebrate National Poetry Month with Opening History by exploring poetry collections such as The Walt Whitman Archive, A Celebration of Women Writers, and A Poet’s Voice: A Digital Poetry Collection.
National Poetry Month? OMG, I better get busy!
If only I had posted earlier in the month! It slipped my mind until today.
OK. Done. Thaks for the nudge!