National Poetry Month at the Writers Center

Dear Hudson Valley Writers Center (HVWC) Community,

Happy April and Happy National Poetry Month! Many of you know that we celebrate all things poetry in April, but this year the celebration is more momentous than ever.

2026 marks the 30^th anniversary of National Poetry Month, an initiative launched by the Academy of American Poets in April 1996. This April celebration has, over the years, grown to become one of the largest literary celebrations in the world.

At the HVWC we are celebrating poetry and poets and hope you will join us for one of the following activities:

• Let’s write a poem together! In the tradition of the Exquisite Corpse, contribute a line to our collaborative poem. The beginning line is this: “Today I choose to rise, to meet my neighbors where they are, to write it all down.” Contribute the next line and we will publish the completed poem at the end of April. You can find the form here!

  
  

• Attend the Westchester Poetry Festival—our collaboration with the Master’s School in Dobbs Ferry—to hear readings from Kimiko Hahn, Lauren Camp, Samyak Shertok, and Phylisha Villanueva.

  
  

• Take a poetry intensive with Subhaga Crystal Bacon, a multi-week Gratitude Poetics workshop with Tova Greene, or Maggie Smith's craft lecture, The Golden Repair: Embracing Imperfection in Our Poems.

  
  

• Join us for a reading of poetry or prose at the Center. We’re thrilled to welcome Sandra Simonds and Monica Ferrell on April 4 and Linda Dahl and Stephanie Stein Crease on April 12.

Write, read, and experience poetry with the Hudson Valley Writers Center this April! We can’t wait to see you in person or online.

Happy National Poetry Month,

Dominika Wrozynski, HVWC Program Director