U.S. Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith Picks 25 Poems For National Poetry Month

The poet laureate of the United States, Tracy K. Smith, will select twenty-five poems by contemporary poets to be featured in the Academy of American Poets' popular Poem-a-Day series in April.

"I'm honored and excited to curate the month of April for Poem-a-Day, a series that shares the good news of poetry every single day, even covering the spaces, like small towns or rural communities, that poetry festivals and reading series sometimes fail to reach," said Tracy K. Smith.

Recipient of the Pulitzer Prize for her book Life on Mars (Graywolf Press, 2011), Smith is the twenty-second poet to serve as poet laureate. She was appointed by Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden in June 2017. Smith's latest book, Wade in the Water, will be published by Graywolf Press on April 3, 2018.

Launched in 2006, Poem-a-Day is the original and only daily digital poetry series featuring over 200 new, previously unpublished poems by today's talented poets each year. The series is distributed via email, web, social media, and syndication to 350,000+ readers.

"We're grateful to work with the U. S. poet laureate this April in celebration of National Poetry Month, which the Academy of American Poets founded in 1996. We know that thousands of individuals, and especially students, will learn about poets and poetry for this first time this month. With Tracy K. Smith's leadership, we hope many of them will become regular readers of poems," said Jennifer Benka, executive director of the Academy of American Poets.

Readers interested in receiving Poem-a-Day, a free emailed series, can sign up here: www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem-day

For more information about National Poetry Month, visit: www.poets.org/national-poetry-month/home.

About the Academy of American Poets

Founded in 1934, the Academy of American Poets is the largest membership-based nonprofit organization fostering an appreciation for contemporary poetry and supporting American poets. The organization produces Poets.org, the world's largest publicly funded website for poets and poetry; founded National Poetry Month; publishes the popular Poem-a-Day series; offers Teach This Poem and other resources for K-12 educators; and presents an annual series of poetry readings and special events. The organization also coordinates the work of a national poetry coalition working to promote the value poets bring to our culture and the important contribution poetry makes in the lives of people of all ages and backgrounds.

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