Throughout National Poetry Month, we’ve been running across some great online resources for poets and poetry fans, and today we’re sharing ten of these resources for writing, reading and enjoying poetry. We know there’s a robust online poetry community out there, and these websites are only a few of the places to read poetry and essays, watch videos, share ideas, and find inspiration online. Have a favorite resource we haven’t covered? Please share it with us!
On Writing (from the American Academy of Poets)
The American Academy of Poets website, Poets.org, contains countless resources for authors and readers of poetry, including an online collection of poems. It is definitely worth poking around the entire site, but for this list, we’ll focus on just two of the many helpful pages on the site. On Writing includes practical resources for writers of poetry, including a glossary, forms and techniques, and information about publishing and contests. It also features essays on craft and collaboration, as well as interviews with several poets.
Poetry 101: Resources for Beginners (from the American Academy of Poets)
Another resource page from the American Academy of Poets’ vast website, Poetry 101: Resources for Beginners helps newcomers to the poetry scene with tips for reading poetry and pointers on where to start. Reading guides, book recommendations, and essays guide new readers as they enter the world of poetry.
Essays on Poetic Theory (The Poetry Foundation)
Like Poets.org, the Poetry Foundation website is a great place to explore and discover a virtual fount of poems, resources, and information about poetry. For this list, we’re highlighting the Essays on Poetic Theory section, which features famous essays that have influenced the art of poetry. This collection offers a historical and theoretical look at poetry for those interested in “the purpose of poetry, the possibilities of language, and the role of the poet in the world.”
Poetry for People
Poetry for People provides a daily writing prompt in the form of an inspiring photo and a suggested poetic form. The site is community driven; users can submit photos for the prompts and post their poems on the site. Created by educator Ben Rimes, the site is primarily intended for use by secondary or higher ed students, but could definitely inspire poets of all ages.
Tools for Writers (from Poets & Writers)
Poets & Writers “Tools for Writers” page provides information about grants and awards, MFA programs, conferences, literary agents and other practical info for writers, as well as writing prompts and exercises. Like Poets.org and the Poetry Foundation, the entire P&W website has a lot to offer, so be sure to explore.
The Poetry Archive
The Poetry Archive is an online collection of English-language poets reading their own poetry. Hear recordings from both contemporary and historic poets from Tennyson to Seamus Heaney. The Poetry Archive is an extremely rich resource that, in addition to the archive of poetry recordings, also contains biographical information about poets, teacher and student resources, and a colorful children’s page.
The Poetry Station
The Poetry Station is a web-based video channel and portal for poetry created by the English and Media Centre. The Poetry Station aims to collect a very diverse selection of poetry from slams and song writing to classic literary poems. Poems are presented in diverse formats, from animation to live performances. The site features at least 60 videos of authors and actors reading or talking about poems, and can be searched by poet, title or topic.
The website for the Guas Collection at UW-Madison contains a section called “Poetry on the Web” that contains links to web resources such as Famous Poets and Poems, the Glossary of Poetic Terms, the Internet Poetry Archive, and more.
The American Academy of Poets Online Poetry Resources page contains links to audio and visual poetry resources, resources for writers, reviews and critical essays, places to read poetry online, as well as some interactive tools.
For librarians looking to spruce up their poetry collection, check out our kit by Erinn Batykefer: 811: Building a Core Poetry Collection.Pin It