National Poetry Month: The Poet's Responsibility

As National Poetry Month comes to a close, I reflect on what this month has been for me and for poetry. This year, poetry has continued its global and multigenerational reach. As a poet, it thrills me to see a deeper appreciation for poetry among all age groups around the world. I have had the great privilege of meeting other poets through performing and through social media.

This month was filled with lots of activities celebrating poets and their work. I am overjoyed to have met more contemporaries both online and in person. This is especially important as an educator. Students tend to distance themselves from textbook poetry because most of the time the poets they read about are those who lived centuries ago. Living poets must have the opportunity to reach the younger generation so that they don’t associate poetry with only the past and as not applicable to them.

Poets who type poems for strangers in the park were highlighted during National Poetry Month.

Celebrating Poets in National Poetry Month

Some of the activities I’ve enjoyed this year’s National Poetry Month include performances in my state that I’ve participated in and online performances I have either watched or hosted. I look forward to the culminating activity by the Academy of American Poets. That event, titled “Poetry and the Creative Mind” will air online Tuesday, April 30 at 7:30 pm. EDT on the Academy’s YouTube channel.

I leave you with what to me is the importance of being a poet. I recognize that there are many forms of poetry and I do enjoy them all but, for me as a form of expression, I think that the poet has a responsibility to reflect the times we are living, to awaken the conscience of society. That to me is the role of the poet. Hence the tagline of this website, “documenting the times through poetry.”

The Poet’s Responsibility

It was interesting to see an Instagram post with Nina Simone saying the same thing about the responsibility of an artist. She said, “An artist’s responsibility is to reflect the times.” James Baldwin echoed the same sentiments when he said, “The role of the artist is exactly the same as the role of the lover. If I love you, I have to make you conscious of the things you don’t see.”

National Poetry Month also involves Earth Day and Arbor Day on the 22nd and the 26th respectively.

The Book of Psalms is replete with poetry that reflects the times and experiences of the writers. I acknowledge that some poets don’t feel this way. There was a Twitter (now X) thread some time ago about how writers view their work, and this point was raised, not all writers think that they have that responsibility, and that doesn’t make their writing any less important. However, for me, I do feel a responsibility to my readers, viewers, and listeners.

How about you? As a creative, or someone who reads, watches, or listens to other creatives, do you think that artists are responsible for awakening the conscience of society, for being the voice of the voiceless?