New York, January 16—The Academy of American Poets has unveiled the official poster for National Poetry Month 2008, designed by SpotCo, a New York City agency responsible for the lion’s share of poster designs for Broadway’s most popular shows. These include RENT, Chicago, and Avenue Q.
Red letters set in flight to spell "National Poetry Month" are the centerpiece of this bold poster. The image is anchored by two cupped hands. Beside the hands are lines by Vermont poet Jay Wright: "I carried my life, like a stone, / in a ragged pocket, but I / had a true weaving song, a sly / way with rhythm, a healing tone."
SpotCo's theatrical poster designs were first brought to the attention of Academy director Tree Swenson by esteemed designer Chip Kidd. "Working with Gail Anderson, the creative director at SpotCo, brought instant fruit; she and her team delivered a vibrant and vital way to herald in National Poetry Month this April."
Each year, the Academy of American Poets works with a new designer to launch National Poetry Month. The designers generously donate their time to the poster project. Past designers have included Christoph Niemann, design collective Number Seventeen, Chip Kidd, and Milton Glaser, among others. A gallery of past posters can be viewed at www.poets.org/poster.
Over 175,000 copies of SpotCo’s poster will be distributed for free to libraries, schools, independent bookstores and individuals in support of National Poetry Month this April. National Poetry Month was established in 1996 to promote and celebrate the reading of poetry throughout the United States.
For more information about SpotCo, visit www.spotco.com
About the Academy of American Poets
The Academy of American Poets is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1934 to foster appreciation for contemporary poetry and to support American poets at all stages of their careers. For over three generations, the Academy has connected millions of people to great poetry through programs such as National Poetry Month, the largest literary celebration in the world; Poets.org, the most popular site about poetry on the web, presenting a wealth of great poems, audio recordings, poet biographies, essays, and interactive discussions about poetry; the Poetry Audio Archive, capturing the voices of contemporary American poets for generations to come; American Poet, a biannual literary journal; and our annual series of poetry readings and special events.
The Academy also awards prizes to accomplished poets at all stages of their careers—from hundreds of student prizes at colleges nationwide to the Wallace Stevens Award for lifetime achievement in the art of poetry. For more information, visit www.poets.org.