As if you really needed another excuse to celebrate poetry! Though you celebrate poetry year-round by reading and writing it, the officially-declared World Poetry Day is coming up on March 21. So how is this fifteen-year-old holiday typically celebrated, and how can you participate? Read on to find out!
Over a decade ago, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization passed a proclamation that declared March 21 as the official World Poetry Day. In keeping with UNESCO’s mission and purpose, a major theme of World Poetry Day is to use verse as a means of exploring and celebrating cultural diversity, particularly the diversity of languages. Major organizations that celebrate World Poetry Day often do so by linking poetry with other art forms, such as theatre, music, dance, and visual arts, to create an entirely new cultural experience.
Ideas for Celebrating World Poetry Day This Year
So how exactly will you participate in this year’s World Poetry Day? Read on for a few suggestions!
1.) Attend a poetry reading. Many local colleges and universities host poetry readings on their campuses that are free and open to the public. Hearing a professional poet read their work may not only be inspiring, but it could potentially introduce you to your new favorite writer!
2.) Write an ekphrastic poem. Looking for a way to combine poetry with another art form? An ekphrastic poem is the perfect way to do that. Ekphrasis is a Greek term that refers to the description of a work of art; an ekphrastic poem is a piece that describes or elaborates on a work of art through verse.
3.) Read poetry in another language. Part of UNESCO’s goals for created World Poetry Day was promoting the awareness of cultural diversity. Whether you are fluent in another language or only remember a few words from your high school Spanish classes, try searching for poetry written in a language other than your own. You may find beautiful translations or talented new poets that you’d never heard of before!
4.) Give the gift of poetry. Do you have a beloved poem or collection of poems that you read over and over? Consider gifting a copy to a close friend or family member to spread your love of poetry further.
5.) Submit your work to a poetry contest. What better way to celebrate your own personal love of poetry than by challenging yourself to submit your work for the world to read?