National Poetry Month

Hi, Friends! Today is the first day of April, also known as April Fool’s Day. Much as I love a harmless, practical joke, I prefer to think of today as the beginning of National Poetry Month, a time when we celebrate the artform by reading, writing, and sharing poetry. From the Dear Poet Project to Poem-a-Day to Poem in Your Pocket Day, the Academy of American Poets has ensured that the entire month of April is filled with poetry appreciation in all its forms for 30 years. Bring on the alliteration, rhyming couplets, haikus, stanzas, and metaphors…

Vermont has had an official, Governor-appointed state Poet Laureate for nearly 40 years. The first was in 1961*, but there wasn’t another until Governor Madeline Kunin reinstated the position in 1988. Vermont’s Poet Laureate serves as an ambassador for poetry, promoting literacy and creative engagement in communities, particularly with teachers and librarians, who are always eager to engage their students with the poetic form. Appointed in May 2024 to a 4-year term, Bianca Stone from Brandon, VT is Vermont’s current Poet Laureate. She is the author of five books, including What Is Otherwise Infinite, which won the 2022 Vermont Book Award.

Speaking of the Vermont Book Awards, I need to give a shout out to my friend Jeff McRae of North Bennington, whose book The Kingdom Where No One Dies is a finalist in the Poetry category! Way to go, Jeff!

Visit your local bookstore or library to see what poetry collections they’re highlighting for National Poetry Month.

*Do you know who was appointed as the first ever Vermont Poet Laureate in 1961? Click here to read one of his poems!

“Unharvested” by Robert Frost from Good Poems for Hard Times, selected and introduced by Garrison Keilor.

For your Poem-a-Day and all other Poetry Month events, visit the Academy of American Poets

To learn more about Bianca Stone and the history of Vermont’s Poet Laureate, visit the Vermont Arts Council

Learn more about the 2025 Vermont Book Awards through the Vermont Department of Libraries

Check out poet Jeff McRae’s The Kingdom Where No One Dies, a finalist for the 2025 Vermont Book Award for Poetry