National Poetry Day 2023: Date, History, Facts, Events

One of the first compositions we learn as children begins, “Roses are red/Violets are blue…” Even as youngsters, poetry compels us to halt and appreciate the splendor of language. National Poetry Day occurs annually in the U.K. and Ireland on a Thursday in late September or early October. The events for this year are scheduled for October 1 and will focus on the theme of change. Poetry is, admittedly, different things to different individuals. It can be whimsical or irate, sensitive or reticent. Poetry is most effective when read aloud for the benefit of others.

The background of National Poetry Day

Poetry motivates us to observe our environment and consider our duties in it. Even when we are not feeling particularly courageous, poetry enables us to express our deepest emotions with courage. National Poetry Day captures a moment in time that inspires us to be more than we believe we are. It reminds us of the ties we share with other humans. Whether it’s our own or someone else’s, poetry allows us to tell a story.

Since the beginning of time, cultures from around the globe have told stories about their champions through poems that describe their valor or dishonorable deaths. Poems reveal a society’s values, both those that are cherished and those that are detrimental to the whole. Poems describe a person’s personal voyage, describing everything that person sees and hears along the way. Poetry is not required to rhyme. E.E. Cummings, for instance, rejected traditional punctuation because he viewed it as an impediment to unfettered poetic expression.

National Poetry Day provides a forum for new poets, juvenile poets, established poets, and renegade poets to eschew language conventions and freely express outrageous opinions or emotions in a completely accepting and secure environment. ​The “Epic of Gilgamesh”was a series of Sumerian poems and has the distinction of being the first documented poem in the world. The ancient story of Beowulf is the oldest extant Old English epic poem with nearly 3,200 alliterative lines. “Howl,” an epic poem by the radical Beat poet Allen Ginsberg, exploded onto the San Francisco poetry scene and revolutionized spoken word around the globe.

National Poetry Day was established by William Sieghart of the Forward Arts Foundation as part of a British initiative to promote the benefits of poetry through public performances by prominent poets. Carol Ann Duffy, the first openly lesbian poet laureate in the United Kingdom, assumed her position of literary prominence, putting an end to 400 years of masculine dominance.

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National Poetry Day Events

Attend a workshop on poetry.

National Poetry Day features poets in unorthodox situations. You can participate in a “Poetry as Therapy” or “Poems in the Kitchen” group while savoring tea and snacking on scones. Libraries, bookstores, hospitals, and public transportation are all planning events to promote the enjoyment of poetry.

Assume the stage

How about performing a poem at Poetry Karaoke? National Poetry Day offers an abundance of activities for those who wish to do more than simply observe. During a poetry slam, take a number and spit your composition. A song is simply a poem set to music, so attempt writing a poem set to music as well.

Include the youngsters.

One of the primary objectives of National Poetry Day is to introduce young people to the power of poetry. Reading and writing poetry are creative methods to engage children in literature at an early age. National Poetry Day makes it acceptable to spend a day in the library participating in activities revolving around the written word. Organize or observe the various upcoming children’s literary festivals.

5 (NON-RIMING) REASONS WE APPRECIATE POETRY

Three of the greatest poets of all time are also best-selling authors, beginning with Shakespeare and continuing with Lao-Tzu and Kahlil Gibran.

​ Seventeenth century poet John Dryden is the father of the oft-ignored grammatical rule which makes it a no-no to terminate a sentence with a preposition.

While riding his horse, Sir Walter Scott penned “Marmion,” his most renowned poem.

The dread of poetry is metrophobia, while the compulsion to write poetry is metromania.

The Mahabharata of India is the longest composition in the world, with approximately 1.8 million words.

NATIONAL POETRY DAY DATES

Year	Date	Day
2021	October 1	Friday