Explore the many types of poetry! World Poetry Day is March 21. This day was designated by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization or UNESCO on March 21, 1999, to celebrate the art of poetry. Many organizations, libraries and publishers support this day to recognize poetic expression and creative energy. Poetry is said to explore spiritual heritage along with other topics such as war, love and so much more.

Poets.org offers a list of poetry organizations and festivals you can explore such as Australian poetry and the Scottish Poetry Library.

Some facts about World Poetry Day:

• The Epic of Gilgamesh is considered the earliest work of poetry.
• Dante’s Divine Comedy is said to be important since it helped with shaping vernacular language, especially in the 14th century.
• The Romanticism Era is considered important for poetry expressing emotion and individualism.
• The Harlem Renaissance in the 1920s is important for poetry due to African Americans’ writing becoming more respected during this time.
• Poetry can include proverbs, prayers, legends, myths, songs, epic songs, dramatic performances and many more.
• A one-line poem is called a monostich.

Here are some things you can do for World Poetry Day:

• Explore poetry from other countries.
• Support poetry collections or poetry books.
• Research different types of poets.
• Try to write your own verses.
• Attend or participate in a poetry reading.
• BBC offers these resources for World Poetry Day.

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