National Student Poster Contest, Remembering Toni Morrison, and the Poets Shop

View this email on a browser Forward to a friend August 6, 2019 Hope Is the Thing With Feathers   When something new begins, hope is required. Read poems about journeys and hope in this round-up of poems from the archives on Poets.org.   "What Seems Like Joy" by Kaveh Akbar "White Chairs" by Krystyna Dąbrowska "Hope is the thing with feathers (254)"       by Emily Dickinson "Of the Threads that Connect the Stars"       by Martín Espada "To the Fig Tree on 9th and Christian" by Ross Gay "For Keeps" by Joy Harjo "The Flower" by George Herbert "Calling on All Silent Minorities" by June Jordan "Two Set out on Their Journey" by Galway Kinnell "Me and the Otters" by Dorothea Lasky "The Last Thing" by Ada Limón

August Guest Editor: Ruth Ellen Kocher   Sign up for Poem-a-Day to receive poems curated by Ruth Ellen Kocher and read a Q&A that discusses her curating approach and more. Read about the Whitman Award. Submissions open September 1. Browse poems for Summer Browse through this year's Dear Poet letters National Poetry Month Poster Contest for Students   This year, the Academy of American Poets invites students in the United States who are in grades 9 through 12 to enter artwork to be considered for the official April 2020 National Poetry Month poster. Check out the guidelines and last year's winner. Remembering Toni Morrison   Today we remember and celebrate Toni Morrison's legacy that, poet Nikky Finney says, "changed the landscape of American literature." There's Still Time to Find Something Special   Our Summer Sale carries on in the Poets Shop. Search a curated selection of markdowns in stationery, kids' books, gift items, and more before the season comes to an end. Lesson Plans about Politics   Check out these lesson plans featuring poems and activities related to politics, America, the election process, and important national issues.  Poetry Breaks   Watch a video from the archival series "Poetry Breaks," filmed in the late 1980s and early 1990s by creator Leila Luchetti. In this video, Cyrus Cassells reads his poem "The Dreams." In Case You Missed It   "After Prison" by Mahogany L. Browne Read an essay in the series made possible by the Art for Justice Fund documenting communities "most harmed by mass incarceration." August is Women in Translation Month Celebrate the work of women translators and author-translator duos by looking through this article from LitHub on who to read.   The Academy of American Poets is supported in part by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, an award from the National Endowment for the Arts, and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. 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