People call the library to say how much their poem meant to them, personally. They also put together a street team that hands out poems along the Charlottesville pedestrian mall.Īccording to library branch manager Wendy Saz, 'The very best part of the project is seeing the way people immediately respond to poetry.

Over 7,000 scrolls are distributed to a local hospital, a children's museum, libraries, senior centers, nursing homes, and numerous small businesses in the downtown area.

The project is spearheaded by Jefferson-Madison Regional Library, whose staff recruit members of the community-students, senior citizens, local business owners, neighbors, and friends-to distribute poem scrolls throughout Charlottesville.

Read a poem out loud from your porch, window, backyard or outdoor space.ĭiscover more ways to celebrate National Poetry Month in the classroom, or at home or online!Įach year on national Poem in Your Pocket Day, the town of Charlottesville, Virginia, unites in a day-long celebration of poetry.Schedule a video chat and read a poem to your loved ones.Email a poem to your friends, family, neighbors, or local government leaders.Record a video of yourself reading a poem, then share it on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, or another social media platform you use.Print a poem from the Poem in Your Pocket Day PDF and draw an image from the poem in the white space, or use the instructions on pages 57–58 of the PDF to make an origami swan.Select a poem and share it on social media using the hashtag #PocketPoem.Here are some ideas of how you might get involved: It’s easy to participate in Poem in Your Pocket Day from a safe distance. Poem in Your Pocket Day 2023 will take place on April 27. Poem in Your Pocket Day takes place every year on a day in National Poetry Month.

In 2016, the League of Canadian Poets extended Poem in Your Pocket Day to Canada. In 2008, the Academy of American Poets took the initiative to all fifty United States, encouraging individuals around the country to participate. Poem in Your Pocket Day was initiated in April 2002 by the Office of the Mayor in New York City, in partnership with the city’s Departments of Cultural Affairs and Education.

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