Poems for Black History Month and Valentine’s Day

View this email on a browser Forward to a friend February 2019 February Is Black History Month   Of Lucille Clifton's "won't you celebrate with me," the poet Safiya Sinclair writes, "What a balm and a blessing this poem has been to me." We asked Sinclair and eleven other contemporary poets to share the poems they recommend reading during Black History Month, and why. Here are a few:    "We Real Cool" by Gwendolyn Brooks "American History" by Michael S. Harper "Let America Be America Again" by Langston Hughes "Coherence in Consequence" by Claudia Rankine "On Being Brought from Africa to America" by Phillis      Wheatley Read all 12 poems alongside the poets' notes.

To plan your classroom's celebration, browse essays on literary milestones and movements, find important books on black history and poetics, look for lesson plans for Black History Month, read archival letters from classic African American poets, and search poems about the African American experience by both classic and contemporary poets. Read more poems for Black History Month. Find lesson plans for Black History Month. Celebrate Langston Hughes' birthday on February 1. Love Poems for Valentine's Day   Valentine's Day is also around the corner—and what better way to celebrate than with poetry? Browse our selections of love poems and poems about friendship to read and to share, including these classic and contemporary favorites: "It's all I have to bring today (26)" by Emily Dickinson "Heart to Heart" by Rita Dove "For Keeps" by Joy Harjo "Yours" by Daniel Hoffman "Having a Coke with You" by Frank O'Hara   Elizabeth Barrett Browning famously wrote, "How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. / I love thee to the depth and breadth and height / My soul can reach." In the lesson plan "Love as a Two-Way Street," students learn more about this poet's loving marriage to Robert Browning and write love poems of their own.  Read more love poems. Discover more lesson plans with love poems. Browse poetry resources for teens. Dear Poet 2019   Encourage your students to interact directly with poets through this year's Dear Poet project, featuring Alberto Ríos and seven other poets from our Board of Chancellors. National Poetry Month 2019   April is right around the corner! As you're planning ahead, here are a few things to keep in mind:   You can request or download a free copy of the 2019 National Poetry Month poster, designed by a high school student for the first time.   Your students are invited to write letters to eight award-winning poets through the 2019 Dear Poet project.   Poem in Your Pocket Day will take place on Thursday, April 18. Read 200+ lesson plans. Browse 30+ themed lists of poems for kids. Find poetry readings and events near you. Thanks for being a part of the Academy of American Poets community. To learn about other programs, including National Poetry Month, Poem in Your Pocket Day, the annual Poets Forum, and more, visit Poets.org.   You are receiving this e-mail because you elected to subscribe to our mailing list. If you would like to unsubscribe, please click here.   © Academy of American Poets 75 Maiden Lane, Suite 901, New York, NY 10038