Celebrate 2026 ¥ Poetry Month with ¥
April is ¥ Poetry Month, and while we know many of our members celebrate poetry all year long, now is the perfect time to resurface some of our classroom activities, lesson plans, and inspiration for reading and writing poetry—whether with your students or for your personal enjoyment and practice.
Read the Blog Post2026 Notable Children's Poetry Books and Verse Novels
Here are outstanding poetry books and verse novels to offer children and teens—not just this month, but throughout the year and across the curriculum. Use these books, and create connections with books from previous Notable Lists (2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019,,,,,,,,) to create even more poetry joy!
See the 2026 ListPoetry Books

opens up the flourishing world of contemporary poetry to secondary teachers, giving advice on reading contemporary poetry, discovering new poets, and inviting living poets into the classroom, as well as sharing sample lessons, writing prompts, and ways to become an engaged member of a professional learning community.
The #TeachLivingPoets approach, which has grown out of the vibrant movement and community founded by high school teacher Melissa Alter Smith and been codeveloped with poet and scholar Lindsay Illich, offers rich opportunities for students to improve critical reading and writing, opportunities for self-expression and social-emotional learning, and, perhaps the most desirable outcome, the opportunity to fall in love with language and discover (or renew) their love of reading. The many poems included inare representative of the diverse poets writing today.

From synesthetic poems to questioning poems to the ghazal,has something fun or fascinating for every student and teacher as they explore the possibilities of poetry writing. The exercises teach and utilize technique while also focusing on and inspiring the intuitive and imaginative qualities of poetry.
Each poem type includes an introduction explaining the exercise’s goal, detailed instructions, and a student example. The 75 activities are divided into three sections: exercises that focus on different types of imagery and ways to generate fresh imagery; exercises born out of unusual prompts and ideas that engage a writer’s experiences in the real world; and exercises related to what form might look like or how it might function.
Kyle Vaughn invites every writer to explore the power of poetry, illuminating the way through the endless possibilities for inspiration.
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30 Poems for 30 Days of ¥ Poetry Month
Throughout April 2025, ¥ shared a daily poem and poet curated by author Charles R. Smith Jr., winner of the 2025 ¥ Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children, along with a classroom prompt.
Poems were dropped each day on social media and in the blog post.
Read the Blog PostGet the official 2026 ¥ Poetry Month poster.
The annual ¥ Poetry Month poster features an excerpt from a contemporary poem selected to inspire reflection, creativity, and conversation. ¥ is a long-time sponsor of the poster and partner of the Academy of American Poets.
Visit the Academy of American Poets to request your free poster and get more resources for participating in the largest annual literary celebration in the US, including the beloved Poem-a-Day, a poetry readings and events calendar, the Dear Poet Project for fifth through eighth graders, and more.
¥ Verse: A Look Back
While ¥ Verse is no longer active, its past resources remain valuable for poetry educators. Explore the 2022 ¥ Verse postsand past calendars for ideas and inspiration on poets and poetry.
