April is National Poetry Month. To help celebrate this occasion, the City of New York is sponsoring the 7th annual Poem in Your Pocket Day on April 30, 2009. Public schools, after-school programs, and cultural venues throughout the five boroughs will host poetry readings, and writing workshops focusing on poetry.

Launched in 2002, PIYP was developed under the leadership of the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. As part of National Poetry Month, PIYP celebrates literacy and excellence in New York City’s public schools and cultural organizations in all five boroughs. This City-wide initiative highlights poetry as a powerful means of expression.

The Envelope Project
For the second year, the Poetry Society of America will help bring John Waldman's "Envelope Project" to New York City. A published poet, Mr. Waldman has been an elementary school teacher for 23 years in California and Illinois. The "Envelope Project" was developed by Mr. Waldman to integrate poetry writing, reading, and spoken word in an interactive activity.

Mr. Waldman begins the game by inserting a published poem into an envelope. He then writes the first line of the poem on the outside of the envelope. This exercise can be played with numerous envelopes and well-known poems. Participants use the first line as a jumping off point to compose their own poems. At the end of the project, the participants share their poems with each other, along with the previously hidden published poems. Learn more about how this fun, participatory project works (in PDF).

Play the Envelope Project with all of your friends by posting your poems to the New York Public Library Blog during April, National Poetry Month. Be sure to browse the Events Calendar to find events for adults, children, and families or participate in Poem in Your Pocket Day through Facebook.

Partners include the Academy of American Poets, the Bryant Park Corporation, Everybody Wins, the New York Public Library, the Poetry Society of America, and Urban Word.