A Poem in Your Pocket

April 10 was Poem in Your Pocket Day for this year, but any day can be a poem in your pocket day. How about June 10?

The idea for the 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. In 2008, the Academy of American Poets took the initiative to all fifty United States, encouraging individuals around the country to participate. In 2016, the League of Canadian Poets extended Poem in Your Pocket Day to Canada.

Poem in Your Pocket Day is observed on the last Thursday of April as an annual celebration of poetry during National Poetry Month. 

It’s easy to participate. Select a poem, carry it with you, and share it with others throughout the day, 

The goal is to inspire a love of poetry and foster a sense of community through this shared experience.

The poets.org website has more than 10,000 poems if you need suggestions.  

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Poem in Your Pocket Day

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

It is simple to join the celebration. On Thursday, April 26 select a poem, carry it with you, and share it with others at schools, bookstores, libraries, parks, workplaces, and street corners. You can also share it on social media using the hashtag #pocketpoem.



On Poem in Your Pocket Day, the town of Charlottesville, Virginia, unites in a day-long celebration of poetry. 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. 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. They also put together a street team that hands out poems along the Charlottesville pedestrian mall.

Keep a Poem in Your Pocket This Week

This Thursday (April 21) is Poem in Your Pocket Day as part of National Poetry Month,sponsored by the Academy of American Poets and supported by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) and ReadWriteThink.org.

The basic idea is simple - carry a favorite poem in your pocket and share it with others that day.  The Academy offers a printable list of suggestions and some poems for the day at poets.org

Here are a few other ideas.

• Post pocket-sized verses in public places. Use the aptly named poem, “Keep a Pocket in Your Poem“.
• Memorize a poem. and speaking poetry
• Post lines from your favorite poem on your Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Tumblr. You might want to turn your original poetry into digital form using something like Animoto.
• Send a poem to a friend.