What is National Poetry Month?
National Poetry Month, a celebration of poetry which takes place each April, was introduced in 1996 and is organized by the Academy of American Poets as a way to increase awareness and appreciation of poetry in the United States.
In honor of National Poetry Month be sure to checkout some of our YA poetry books, and novels written in verse.
“Punching the Air” is a YA novel-in-verse that follows Amal, a black and Muslim teen boy who is wrongfully convicted of a crime that he did not commit. It follows his experience as he is locked up in a juvenile detention center and how he faces a variety of challenges (both internal and external).
Raúl Santos has been lost ever since his mother was wrongly incarcerated two years ago. Playing guitar for the elderly has been his only escape, to help them remember and him forget. But when his mom unexpectedly comes back into his life, what is he supposed to do when she isn't the same person who left?
This first-person novel in verse is about a high school girl who is confused about her feelings on boys, her body, her relationships, and religion. She is a budding poet and shares her struggles through her poetry, which helps her deal with the pressures of life.
Ain't Burned All the Bright is a gripping, emotional look into the life of a Black family living through what is evidently the early months of the Covid-19 pandemic.
In junior high, Anderson is sexually assaulted by a boy she thought was her friend. She keeps the rape a secret from everyone. Her assailant dies in an accident a few weeks afterwards, and Anderson's suffering grows, encompassing shame, grief, and confusion.
365. by Atlas McManis
- A unique verse narrative, 365. is a collection of 365 different poems depicting the adversities and victories of a teenager struggling with ideas such as heartbreak, self-discovery, and mental and chronic illness. These poems are offered to the reader in two formats--verse and narrative. Each chapter begins with the "story", allowing the reader to contextualize the poems in a new, more wholistic direction. Immediately following this are the individual poems, allowing the reader to see the poems as they had been written in real time, largely unedited. 365. is a raw and honest depiction of all of the things we never say out loud.
On January 20, 2021, Amanda Gorman became the sixth and youngest poet to deliver a poetry reading at a presidential inauguration. Taking the stage after the 46th president of the United States, Joe Biden, Gorman captivated the nation and brought hope to viewers around the globe with her call for unity and healing. Her poem "The Hill We Climb: An Inaugural Poem for the Country" can now be cherished in this special gift edition, perfect for any reader looking for some inspiration. Including an enduring foreword by Oprah Winfrey, this remarkable keepsake celebrates the promise of America and affirms the power of poetry.
The Year of Goodbyes is a collection of notes and diary entries from Jutta Salzberg's poesiealbum (in their own handwriting). After each entry, Debbie Levy has written an accompanying verse entry that imagines Jutta's thoughts about the time period and the actions of the Nazis.
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