Shelter in Poems, a virtual reading

In this unprecedented time, as more and more of us are turning to poetry, the Academy of American Poets launched Shelter in Poems, an initiative that invites poets and poetry lovers to share poems on social media that give them comfort or courage.

Shelter in Poems: A Virtual Reading extends this idea with a special offering of poems read by poets laureate, actors, musicians, artists, and more.

The evening will include poems presented by:

Elizabeth Alexander

Sam Beam

Richard Blanco

Julia Bullock

Marilyn Chin

Rita Dove

Patrick Gaspard

Amanda Gorman

Joy Harjo

Juan Felipe Herrera

Dulé Hill

Edward Hirsch

Kevin Kwan

Stephin Merritt

Maulik Pancholy

Busy Philipps

Alison Pill

Dan Rather

Alberto Ríos

Mustafa Shakir

Naomi Shihab Nye

Amber Tamblyn

Natasha Trethewey

The event will raise funds to support our free publications and programs, including our K–12 education program.

As National Poetry Month comes to a close, many of us will have weathered a month of solitude in an act of solidarity to protect each other. During these weeks, poetry has brought us all closer together, even as we remain physically apart.

We look forward to sharing an evening of poetry with you.