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Happy Poem in Your Pocket Day!

Karina Glaser

Contributing Editor

Karina Yan Glaser is a full-time writer and illustrator with a varied career teaching and implementing literacy programs in family homeless shelters and recruiting healthcare professionals to volunteer in under-resourced areas around the world. Karina is the New York Times bestselling author of the middle grade books, The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street and The Vanderbeekers and the Hidden Garden. She lives in Harlem with her husband, two daughters, and an assortment of rescued animals. One of her proudest achievements is raising two kids who can't go anywhere without a book. Website: www.karinaglaser.com; Twitter: @KarinaYanGlaser; Instagram: @KarinaIsReadingAndWriting

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Happy Poem in Your Pocket Day! What better way to celebrate the end of National Poetry Month by keeping a poem with you or sharing your favorite poem with your loved ones?

Poem in Your Pocket day first began in New York City in 2002 by the Office of the Mayor. In 2008, the Academy of American Poets took the initiative to all fifty states. A wonderful printable with resources, ideas for celebrating the day, and poems ready to print are available for download at poets.org.

How are other people, libraries, and bookstores celebrating Poem in Your Pocket Day?

Morton Grove Public Library will provide poems at their circulation and check-out desks for patrons.

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Celebrate #nationalpoetrymonth and #pocketpoem day (April 27) by grabbing a poem from one of the containers at either Info, Check-Out, or Youth Services Desks. On April 27, show off the poem to others in person or on social media with hashtag #pocketpoem and tag the library too.

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The New York Society Library always has a wonderful display in their children’s section. (Side note: I found poems that my daughters got last year in their jacket pockets the other day!)

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Celebrating "Poem in Your Pocket" Day at New York Society Library. What poem do you have in your pocket?

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I love what Connect2Culture in Joplin, MO is doing today. They have hundreds of poems ready to pass out, all rolled and tied up like the perfect present.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BTCrKxklCHA/?tagged=pocketpoem

Glenthorne Library is having a Poetry Open Mic, with some awesome poems printed on old style library cards. I want them all!

Poetry Coalition, Milkweed Editions, @coffeehousepress, @graywolfpress, and Birds LLC have partnered to curate a selection of poems on the theme of migration. A new poem each week is available at Milkweed Books in Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota!

Leander ISD Libraries had a photo of Pleasant Hill Elementary Library getting ready for Poem in Your Pocket day!

How gorgeous are these? The Galesburg Public Library in Illinois gave out these #pocketpoems back in February and March, seven different ones at various spots in downtown Galesburg!

As for me, I’m celebrating by printing out some of my favorite poems and giving them out to friends and family.

How are you celebrating Poem in Your Pocket Day? Don’t forget to share your poems on all social media platforms, using hashtag #pocketpoem !