Most people know when they see it, since poetry has a distinctive form. It is written in lines, rather than in sentences. However, form is only a part of what makes poetry special. Poetry has a special musical quality and also uses language in imaginative ways to create vivid word pictures. Most poems are charged with emotion and packed with meaning or insight into life.
Thoughtful readers can often make connections between the poems and their own lives.
NPM was inaugurated by the Academy of American Poets in 1996 to bring together publishers, booksellers, literary organizations, libraries, schools and poets around the country to celebrate poetry and its vital place in American culture. Thousands of businesses and non-profit organizations participate through readings, festivals, book displays, workshops and other events. This year the Academy is sponsoring the American Stamp Project where individuals can nominate a poet for a U.S. stamp. The Academy is hoping to see the face of Langston Hughes on the next stamp. Through National Poetry Month the Academy hopes not only to highlight the extraordinary legacy and ongoing achievements of American poets, but to introduce more Americans to the pleasures of reading poetry.