Poetry Coalition

The Poetry Coalition is a national alliance of nearly thirty organizations working together to promote the value poets bring to our culture and the important contribution poetry makes in the lives of people of all ages and backgrounds. Members are nonprofit organizations whose primary mission is to promote poets and poetry, and/or multi-genre literary organizations that serve poets in the disability community and of specific racial, ethnic, or gender identities, backgrounds, or communities. All members present poets at live events. (Founding members are denoted below with an asterisk.)

Launched in 2016, the Poetry Coalition and its founding members have presented annual programming across the country on themes of social importance, including Poetry & Migration (2017), Poetry & the Body (2017), Poetry & Democracy (2019), Poetry & Protest (2020), Poetry & Environmental Justice (2021), Poetry & Disability Justice (2022), and Poetry & Grief (2023). In spring-summer 2024, the coalition will present programs and publications that reflect the transformative impact poetry has on individual readers and communities across the nation.

With generous support from the Mellon Foundation, the Poetry Coalition launched a pilot fellowship program for emerging arts administrators in 2020 through 2023. With renewed and increased funding in 2024, the coalition has expanded the number of fellowships, which will be offered through 2027, and will offer a series of professional development sessions for its members. Through July 3, 2024, the coalition is seeking paid, part-time fellows at CantoMundo, Indigenous Nations Poets (In-Na-Po), Letras Latinas, Mass Poetry, O, Miami, The Poetry Center at San Francisco State University, and Urban Word. Individuals with a passion for poetry and arts administration can learn more and apply here.

The Academy of American Poets is the administrative and fiscal coordinator of the Poetry Coalition, and we are grateful to the Mellon Foundation for their support of this work. For more information, please contact [email protected] and follow along on social media at #PoetryCoalition.

Academy of American Poets

The Academy of American Poets, the nation's largest membership-based literary organization, was founded in 1934 to support American poets at all stages of their careers and to foster the appreciation of contemporary poetry. Home to poets.org, one of the most visited websites for poetry, the Academy is also responsible for Poem-a-Day, National Poetry Month, and an array of programs and educational resources.*

The Alliance for Young Artists & Writers/National Student Poets Program

The Alliance for Young Artists & Writers presents the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards and National Student Poets Program. The National Student Poets Program is a signature initiative which reflects the national imprimatur of the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities in advancing arts education, links the National Student Poets with audiences and resources through the Institute of Museum and Library Services' network of libraries and museums, and builds upon the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers' longstanding work with educators and creative teens through the prestigious Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, the largest scholarship and recognition program for creative youth. The program works in coordination with the Library of Congress and the U.S. Department of Education.*

Asian American Writers' Workshop

Established in 1991, AAWW is a national not-for-profit arts organization devoted to the creating, publishing, developing and disseminating of creative writing by Asian Americans. AAWW is building the Asian literary culture of tomorrow through our curatorial platform, which includes our New York events series and our online editorial initiatives.*

Beyond Baroque

Beyond Baroque is one of the United States' leading independent Literary / Arts Centers and public spaces dedicated to expanding the public's knowledge of poetry, literature and art through cultural events and community interaction. Founded in 1968, Beyond Baroque offers a diverse variety of literary and arts programming including readings, workshops, new music and education.*

Beyond Baroque 2023

Brooklyn Poets

Since their inception in 2012, Brooklyn Poets' core program of small, intensive poetry workshops taught by award-winning poets in their own homes has served over 500 students and employed over 30 teachers. The organization has grown to host 22 events per year attracting over 1400 attendees annually, fostering a more close-knit, homegrown, diverse community of poets and readers than what is seen traditionally offered by graduate writing programs and the American literary community at large. Their community extends through The Bridge, a unique online network connecting poets and mentors throughout the world.

CantoMundo

CantoMundo supports the creation, circulation, and critical analysis of Latina/o poetry. CantoMundo cultivates a community of Latina/o poets through an annual writing retreat, regional workshops, public readings, and the CantoMundo Poetry Prize, an annual book contest that publishes and promotes a poetry volume by a Latina/o writer.*

Cave Canem Foundation

Cave Canem is a home for the many voices of African American poetry and is committed to cultivating the artistic and professional growth of African American poets. Programs include an annual writing retreat, three book prizes, poetry workshops, readings, and lectures.*

Favorite Poem Project

The Favorite Poem Project is dedicated to celebrating, documenting and encouraging poetry’s role in Americans’ lives, as well as to strengthening communities through the art of poetry. To these ends, he Favorite Poem Project has developed successful programs for libraries, communities and schools. Robert Pinsky, the 39th Poet Laureate of the United States, founded the Favorite Poem Project shortly after the Library of Congress appointed him to the post in 1997.

Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festival

The Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Program produces the biennial Dodge Poetry Festival, which features several dozen of our most widely recognized poets alongside newer voices, and is recognized as the largest poetry event in North America. The Festival and the Poetry Program's year-round activities focus on creating opportunities for the general public, teachers and high school students to experience direct encounters with living poets and their work.*

Get Lit

Get Lit is a literary and performing arts organization that fuses classic and spoken word poetry to increase teen literacy and cultivate enthusiastic learners emboldened to inspire social consciousness in diverse communities. Their curriculum is utilized in over 100 schools across Southern California, and their young artists have written and performed for the White House, the Kennedy Center, and more.

Indigenous Nations Poets (In-Na-Po)

In-Na-Po, Indigenous Nations Poets, is a community committed to mentoring emerging writers, cultivating Indigenous literatures and poetics, supporting tribal languages and sovereignty, and raising the visibility of all Native writers.*

Just Buffalo Literary Center

Just Buffalo Literary Center’s mission is to create and strengthen communities through the literary arts. They believe in the love of reading, the art of writing, and the power of the literary arts to transform individual lives and communities. And for more than 40 years, Just Buffalo Literary Center has brought the world’s greatest writers to Buffalo, hosted poetry events and readings, and supported the development of young writers.

Kundiman

Kundiman is dedicated to the creation and cultivation of Asian American literature. Kundiman offers a comprehensive spectrum of arts programming that gives writers opportunities to inscribe their own stories, transforming and enriching the American literary landscape. Kundiman sees literature not only as vehicle for cultural expression but also as an instrument for political dialogue and self-empowerment.*

Lambda Literary

Lambda Literary believes Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer literature is fundamental to the preservation of our culture, and that LGBTQ lives are affirmed when our stories are written, published, and read.*

Letras Latinas at the University of Notre Dame's Institute for Latino Studies.

Letras Latinas, the literary initiative at the University of Notre Dame’s Institute for Latino Studies, enhances the visibility, appreciation, and study of Latinx literature, including with two national poetry prizes. The initiative emphasizes programs that spur collaboration across disciplines and between organizations, such as Pintura/Palabra, Curated Conversation(s): A Latinx Poetry Show, and the Akrilica series—a copublishing venture with Noemi Press that supports innovative Latinx poets and writers.*

Letras Latinas 2023

Mass Poetry

Mass Poetry envisions a world where poetry catalyzes understanding & connection. Our innovative programs—such as U35, the Massachusetts Poetry Festival, and our Poet-in-Residence program—empower diverse communities across the Commonwealth. Mass Poetry’s newest initiative, a teen spoken word program, aims to lift all voices and spark self-expression. Learn more about Mass Poetry online or visit us in-person at GrubStreet’s Center for Creative Writing, where we now serve as an arts-partner-in-residence.*

Mizna

Mizna is a critical platform for contemporary literature, art, film, and cultural programming centering the work of Southwest Asian and North African artists. For twenty years, Mizna has sought to reflect the depth and multiplicity of the communities it serves and has been committed to being a space for Arab, Muslim, and other artists from the region to reclaim narratives and engage audiences in meaningful and artistically excellent art. It publishes Mizna: Prose, Poetry and Art Exploring Arab America, the only Arab American literary and art journal in the country; produces the annual Twin Cities Arab Film Festival; and offers classes, readings, performances, public art, and community events.*

Mizna - Poetry Coalition

O, Miami

O, Miami is an annual festival with the goal of every single person in Miami-Dade County encountering a poem during the month of April. Throughout the year, O, Miami increases access to literature and explores how and why literature impacts the lives of people in Miami.*

Poetry Center and American Poetry Archives at SFSU

Founded in 1954 on the basis of a small donation by W. H. Auden, the Poetry Center at San Francisco State University is one of the most long-lived and nationally renowned literary arts institutions in the United States. With its companion project, the American Poetry Archives, the center has amassed nearly 5,000 hours of original recordings of poets and writers reading from their work.*

Poetry Foundation

Established in 2003 upon receipt of a gift from the philanthropist Ruth Lilly, the Poetry Foundation, which evolved from the Modern Poetry Association, is focused on expanding and enhancing the presence of poetry in America. The Poetry Foundation's programs include Poetry magazine, a series of live readings and events, and an award-winning website.*

The Poetry Project

Through its live programming, workshops, publications, website, and special events, The Poetry Project promotes, fosters, and inspires the reading and writing of contemporary poetry by presenting contemporary poetry to diverse audiences; increasing public recognition, awareness, and appreciation of poetry and other arts; providing a community setting in which poets and artists can exchange ideas and information; and encouraging the participation and development of new poets from a broad range of styles.*

Poetry Society of America

The Poetry Society of America, the nation's oldest poetry organization, was founded in 1910. Its mission is to build a larger and more diverse audience for poetry, to encourage a deeper appreciation of the vitality and breadth of poetry in the cultural conversation, to support poets through an array of programs and awards, and to place poetry at the crossroads of American life.*

Poets House

Located in New York City, Poets House is a home for all who read and write poetry. Its programs, meant to invite the public into the widest tradition of the art, include readings, poetry-related installations, events for families and children, and the annual Poets House Showcase.*

Split This Rock

Founded in 2008, Split This Rock cultivates, teaches, and celebrates poetry that bears witness to injustice and provokes social change. It calls poets to a greater role in public life and fosters a national network of socially engaged poets. Based in the nation's capital, Split This Rock celebrates poetic diversity and the transformative power of the imagination, while building the audience for poetry of provocation and witness.*

University of Arizona Poetry Center

The University of Arizona Poetry Center is a living archive, founded in 1960 to maintain and cherish the spirit of poetry, and advances a diverse and robust literary culture that serves a local-to-global spectrum of writers, readers and new audiences for poetry and the literary arts. The Poetry Center sponsors numerous University and community programs, including readings and lectures, classes and workshops, discussion groups, symposia, writing residencies, poets-in-the-schools, poets-in-the-prisons, contests, exhibitions, and online resources, including standards-based poetry curricula. An area of special emphasis within the College of Humanities, the Poetry Center is open and fully accessible to the public.*

Urban Word/National Youth Poet Laureate Program

Urban Word elevates youth voices and leaders at the intersection of the literary arts and civic engagement. Through the transformative power of the written and spoken word, Urban Word provides young, creative voices, often those that are marginalized, the tools, training, and platforms to rewrite the narratives that shape their lives and to own their agency in directing the future of their communities. As one of the oldest youth literary arts organizations in the United States, Urban Word annually serves more than 25,000 NYC youth between the ages of 13 and 19 through its local and school- based programming including free virtual workshops, special events & slams, our weekly open mic, and our annual Summer Institute. As the founder of the National Youth Poet Laureate Program, we created and presently curate a model for youth poetry and civic engagement replicated in communities across the country.*

Wick Poetry Center at Kent State University

The Wick Poetry Center at Kent State University promotes educational and artistic opportunities for emerging and established poets and poetry audiences regionally, nationally, and internationally. Established in 1984 by Robert and Walter Wick in memory of their sons Stan and Tom, WPC awards poetry scholarships, hosts an annual reading series, sponsors the Stan and Tom Wick Poetry Prize and an Ohio chapbook prize (published by KSU Press), and delivers outreach to area schools, hospitals, and detention centers. Wick’s interactive Traveling Stanzas project encourages people of all ages around the world to engage in a global conversation through the intimate and inclusive voice of poetry.*

Woodland Pattern Book Center

Founded in Milwaukee in 1979 as a forum and resource center for poets and other artists in the Great Lakes region, Woodland Pattern Book Center is dedicated to the discovery, cultivation, and presentation of poetry, independent literature, and the arts. Home to a nationally recognized collection of small-press poetry and offering each year more than 400 activities and events, Woodland Pattern promotes a lifetime practice of reading and writing through programs that encourage exchange across the visual, performing, and literary arts.*

Woodland Pattern Book Center

Young Chicago Authors

Since 1991, Young Chicago Authors has been transforming the lives of young people by cultivating their voices through writing, publication, and performance education. YCA exposes young people to hip-hop realist portraiture and teaches them how to create their own authentic narratives through a variety of arts education programs both in and out of the classroom. YCA’s programs serve as an introduction to and immersion in a vibrant literary community that transcends cultural and socio-economic boundaries.

Youth Speaks

Youth Speaks believes that every young person is a creative changemaker waiting to emerge, and provides them with the guidance, support, and artistic opportunities they need to find and apply their voices. As one of the world’s leading presenters of spoken word poetry performance, storytelling, and youth development programs, Youth Speaks produces local and national youth poetry slams, festivals, and reading series, alongside a comprehensive slate of arts-in-education programs during the school day and during out-of-school time. Youth Speaks exists to create spaces that challenge youth to develop and amplify their voices as creators of societal change."*

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Zoeglossia

Zoeglossia is a literary organization that seeks to pioneer a new inclusive space for disabled poets. Much like its forebears CantoMundo, Cave Canem, Kundiman, and Lambda Literary, Zoeglossia strives to create an open and supportive community that celebrates and fosters creativity. Through a fellowship program and annual retreat, disabled poets from all backgrounds have the opportunity to learn from established disabled writers and one another. These retreats promote professional development among this shared creative community. Zoeglossia also seeks to advocate for disability culture and the intersectionality of disability with race, gender, class, and other forms of diversity. The organization pursues this goal in the recognition that such intersectionality is key to creating authentic social transformation within the arts.*

Zoeglossia