Celebrate Poetry Month with the Poetry Foundation 

It’s that time of year again–the ground is thawing and poetry is springing up around every corner. Every month is Poetry Month at the Poetry Foundation, but all throughout April, we have exciting things in store for longtime poetry lovers and anyone who just wants to dip their toes in. 

Happy Poetry Month! 🎉

The April Issue of Poetry Honors First-Time Contributors

Sharp readers will notice that the April issue of Poetry—like a cereal bowl full of marshmallows—is (almost) completely composed of work from new contributors! Highlights include a Zoom divorce in Brittany Cavallaro's opener, "Blindness;" a vernissage of a new translation of Palestinian poet and agricultural scientist Nasser Rabah's work; and an ambitious foldout of poems from Mercedes Lucero and Kashawn Taylor. (Hint: the former's poem can be read in two different directions and the latter's piece benefits from a deliberate slowdown.)

Closing out the issue are two thrilling folios: new poems from Maxine Hong Kingston, winner of the National Medal of Arts; and a selection of poems from the Poetry Foundation's latest exhibition, Escaramuza, the Poetics of Home, with photos that will blow you away. 

Poetry Month Offers

In celebration of Poetry Month, we have the following special offers:

• $5 off a one-year subscription to Poetry (that’s 51% off the newsstand price!) AND a limited edition download of 25 Poems for 2025, an assortment of the most-read poems in Poetry from the last 25 years with commentary by editors and staff. Access this limited-time offer.
• The April issue is available in full for FREE on the Poetry Magazine App all month long–no purchase necessary. Download it on the Apple App Store, Google Play, and Amazon Appstore before the offer expires on April 30!

New Exhibition: Escaramuza, The Poetics of Home

Escaramuza, the Poetics of Home is a collaborative work by photographer Constance Jaeggi and poets Angelina Sáenz and ire’ne lara silva. Together they tell the story of escaramuza in the United States, addressing complex themes of identity, family, and gender with a lush combination of poetry, photography, and ephemera. 

Join us for an opening event on April 17 with an artist talk by Jaeggi followed by readings by Sáenz and silva. It closes with a celebratory reception featuring music by Sones de México Ensemble. 

Escaramuza, the Poetics of Home will be on display at the Poetry Foundation through August 23, 2025, and visitors to the Poetry Foundation will receive free copies of the April issue of Poetry to bring a piece of the exhibition home with them. Visit Navy Pier April 11 - September 30 for Escaramuza, the Poetics of Home (Remix), a public installation that extends the work of Escaramuza through a satellite exhibition. 

Free Poetry Events and Workshops

No Poetry Month would be complete without poetry events! Join us on April 10 to celebrate Elise Paschen’s book release for Blood Wolf Moon with a reading, artist talks, and a reception. Joining Paschen are Esther Belin, guest editor of Poetry’s special March issue on Diné Poetics, and Osage artists June Carpenter and Lydia Cheshewalla. Register to participate in this hybrid event.

On April 11, the Poetry Foundation’s library hosts a reading and discussion of the eaters of flowers by ire’ne lara silva, whose poems are featured in Escaramuza, the Poetics of Home. Library book clubs fill up quickly, so register to participate from anywhere! 

On April 26, the Poetry Foundation hosts Poesía en Abril: Dialogo entre Poetas in collaboration with Poesía en Abril and DePaul University. The program will be offered entirely in Spanish with readings by Chicago poets, discussions, and refreshments. 

If you’re in Chicago, don’t forget to visit our poetry library, where you can browse more than 40,000 volumes of poetry and explore back issues of Poetry. Plan your visit now. 

We look forward to celebrating Poetry Month with you!