The Academy of American Poets launched National Poetry Month in April 1996. It was inspired by Black History Month in February and Women’s History Month in March. The purpose of Poetry Month is to bring more appreciation to poetry and to encourage support for poets.
Poetry is a form of literary art that attempts to stir a reader’s imagination or emotions. They often used figurative language in poetry, such as metaphors, similes, personification, and many more. It’s a common misconception that poetry needs to rhyme in every stanza, but that’s false. It’s true that poetry can rhyme, but it doesn’t have to. An example of this would be William Wordsworth’s poem The Idiot Boy, where there is some rhyming. Poetry can be a creative outlet for some people to write about what they are feeling in the moment, in times of stress.
English teacher, Daniela Esposito, explains, “To me, poetry is everywhere in life. It is sprinkled throughout the day when I slow down to take notice. I can find experiences on my way to work, at ACE, in the words of students, and on my walk after school in my neighborhood and think aha, that will never happen again. If I put it into words, or turn it into lines of verse, then it becomes more permanent, something I can revisit.”
On April 3, 2025, English teachers Melissa Lasky and Daniela Esposito were able to have Cheryl Panosian as a guest speaker at ACE. Cheryl Panosian is Danbury’s first poet laureate from 2024 to 2027, and is also a licensed professional counselor. She talked about poetry, what topics she writes about, and how the students could get started on writing one. Her poetry themes included ethnic, family, cancer, and social issues. Students spent the end of the session writing original poems.
In regards to gaining inspiration for writing, Daniela reveals, “About two years ago, I was really angry when I heard libraries and schools were banning Inaugural poet Amanda Gorman’s writing. My anger turned into words that just poured out of me, and I wrote a poem that I was happy to share at the ACE Coffeehouse called “Dear Amanda Gorman.”
Melissa Lasky, a teacher and former student at ACE states that she celebrates this month, “ in school by trying to work poetry into my classes more and helping create guidance activities to celebrate poetry. Personally, I am usually more inspired to read and write poetry.”
