The Academy of American Poets started National Poetry Month in April 1996 to celebrate the vital place poetry has in our culture. With thousands of local events, it is one of the largest celebrations of poetry in the world.
Students are encouraged to submit original poetry and art, film and audio illustrating a poem to the Mattie J. T. Stepanek Poetry Contest.
Poetry Contest 6/1
Credit: MY HERO
Click on the image below to see the previous winners
Mattie Stepanek Poetry Contest 2024
By: Abigail Richardson
Mattie Stepanek Poetry Contest 2024
Watch some Mattie Stapanek Poetic Film Festival Winners below:
Man of Heal
By: MyQueal Lewis
"Man of Heal" is a poignant short film created for the Black & Unlimited Black Fatherhood Project, offering an intimate portrayal of Joel's transformative journey as a father
The Sound of the Rain
By: Teagan Burgess - New Roads School
A poetic film about how grief and loss can change the things you love.
For Mom, My Lighthouse
By: Emilee Sung
You are the light who watches over me. The light who searches for me when I’m curled up in the darkness.
When the Light Dances
By: Clarissa Ngo / Jordan
9-year-old Jordan performs his poems, "When the Light Dances,” “Love & Soda,” and “Blue Fear."
In this short documentary, One More Time, former band members of the Mighty Ram Band of Eastside High recall their golden days of performances
The Poet
Cheikh Darou Seck
Mohameth Niane, from Senegal, shares his poem about the need to respect women and stop violence against them. Others chime in on his poetry.
The Hill We Climb
By: Destiny Brown
Students in Wide Angle's Virtual Event Planning class created a collaborative artistic work surrounding Amanda Gorman's poem, "The Hill We Climb," which represented everything the students believed in.
The Morning Mist
Mateo Sotelo | Pacific Elementary School
A poem about the beauties of the different times of the day.
Waking from a Dream about Forests
Maeta Gray | Pacific Elementary School
A poem appreciating forests
Stories from the Christian Science Monitor
Richard Blanco turned from civil engineer to poet. Now he builds with words.
By: Elizabeth Lund
April 11, 2025 - Before he became a poet, Richard Blanco trained as a civil engineer. Now, he shares his poetry – about hardworking people like his Cuban immigrant parents – in schools. [CSM Story]
From Oprah invites to a Grammy nod, Nikki Giovanni is remembered as a prolific poet
By: Hillel Italie
December 10, 2024 - A champion of the Black Power movement, Nikki Giovanni, who passed away Dec. 9, was a writer, poet, and educator. [CSM Story]
Space, love, and poetry: ‘The Nikki Giovanni Project’
By: Ken Makin
January 12 2024 - A new documentary offers a nonlinear, lyrical look at the activism and life of a celebrated Black poet. [CSM Story]
Discover readings of original poetry by professional writers and students. Click on the image below:
Social Justice Poetry Event
Credit: MY HERO
Films | Poetry Recitals
History will be Repeated
Produced by:Trey Carlisle
Trey Carlisle's electrifying performance of his original spoken word poem promoting tolerance.
A Brave and Startling Truth
Produced by:United Nations
Maya Angelou reads her poem "A Brave and Startling Truth" which she wrote in commemoration of the UN's 50th Anniversary, in 1995.
David Milch Reads from Deadwood at The MY HERO Project's 2015 Jazz and Poetry Salon
Produced by:The MY HERO Project
David Milch Reads The Eulogy of Wild Bill Hickok from Deadwood at The MY HERO Project's 2015 Jazz and Poetry Salon.
Paul Cummins Reads Robert Frost @ MY HERO SALON 4/18/13
Producer: MY HERO
New Visions Foundation founder, Paul Cummins, reads Robert Frost at the MY HERO poetry and jazz SALON 4/18/13.
Olivia Milch Reads Wild Geese at The MY HERO Project's 2015 Jazz and Poetry Salon
Produced by:The MY HERO Project
Olivia Milch Reads Wild Geese by Mary Oliver at The MY HERO Project's 2015 Jazz and Poetry Salon.
Poet Against Prejudice [Trailer]
Producer: Faiza Almontaser - Director Albert Maysles - Mentor
Created through with support from BYkids.org, Faiza shares her journey of using her poetry to fight against discrimination.
Short Film Program | Poetic Cinema
The following films celebrate poetic cinema. Films and poetry have a connection because of their use of images, sound, and time.
As you watch these films, consider the techniques used by filmmakers to bring out these elements in poetry.
The Peace of Wild Things
Katy Wang
When despair for the world grows in me…
...I come into the peace of wild things.
~Wendell Barry
To The Boy - for Mattie J.T. Stepanek
Produced by:Alana Daly Mulligan
Mattie's life philosophy was to play after every storm, so now, when we all feel tossed about but the waves of our world, we must remember to hold onto hope.
Still I Rise
Gabriel Diamond, Patrick Barnes, Phil Collis
A visual and musical interpretation of American poet and civil rights activist Maya Angelou’s electrifying poem "Still I Rise."
The Window Pain
Zack Dictakis
My dad, Nick Dictakis, was a stoic man. He didn't ever share his artistic expression. After he passed in 2016, I found a box of poetry and a notebook titled "Attempts at Poetry by Nick Dictakis" filled with beautiful words and jarring poetic story telling.
Playas de Tijuana
Sophie Kim
An inspiring poem about the border fence that meets the sea, where names become prayers and where “the worst place to be is here and not there.”
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
Produced by:Taft High School
Taft High School student, Matthew Marroquin, takes on the task of illustrating this poem by Robert Frost.
My Black Everything
Cara McPhie
A poetic film in honor and celebration of Black History Month. Made by a MY HERO intern.
The Beauty
Pascal Schelbli
What if plastic could be integrated into sea life?
Watch this interview with Imtiaz Dharker, a Pakistan-born British poet who won the Queen's Gold Medal.
Interview with Imtiaz Dharker
Kitty Richardson
Interview with award-winning British poet Imtiaz Dharker on her journey with poetry, her creative process and facing injustice within the industry.
Learn about National Poetry Month with Hero Essays
Amanda Gorman: The Poet Who Healed a Nation
By: Shannon Luders-Manuel
Amanda Gorman, America's first Youth Poet Laureate, recited the original poem "The Hill We Climb" at the inauguration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
Maya Angelou
By: Susannah Abbey
Maya Angelou
is a beloved female author and poet.
Mattie Stepanek: For Our World
Mattie Stepanek: For Our World Mattie's poems of peace and hope have touched millions of lives.
Langston Hughes
By: Jeff Trussell
Langston Hughes was a one of the greatest poets of the Harlem Renaissance.
Elizabeth Acevedo
By: Deborah Neff
Afro-Latina poet Elizabeth Acevedo writes about her own people for young adult readers and adults alike.
Matsuo Bashō
By: Dylan Rock
Matsuo Bashō, from the Edo period in Japan, is known as the greatest master of Haiku.
Poet Mary Oliver
Credit: Courtesy of Mariana Cook/The Penguin Press
Ilse Bing
By: Wendy Jewell
Ilse Bing was a remarkable poet and photographer whose works withstand the test of time.
Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz
By: Becky from Spokane
Sor Juana is a famous Mexican writer, poet, nun, and influential women's right leader from the late 17th century.
Art
Edna St. Vincent Millay
By: Carl Van Vechten
Langston Hughes
By: Carl Van Vechten
Profile of Fairuz
By: Sobhia Hasan
Mahmoud Darwish
By: Sobhia Hasan
Christine de Pisan
By: unknown
Phillis Wheatley
By: Unknown artist, originally appeared in <br>Revue des Colonies in Paris betwe...
Portrait of William Shakespeare
By: Courtesy of The Cobbe Family Trust
Allegorical Portrait of Dante
By: Bronzino
Walt Whitman by Robert Shetterly, AWTT.org
By: Robert Shetterly
Langston Hughes
By: Robert Shetterly
Sappho of Eressos
By: Roman copy of Greek original - 5th Century BC
"A good poem helps to change the shape and significance of the universe, helps to extend everyone's knowledge of himself and the world around him."
- Dylan Thomas
Effie Waller Smith
By: Unknown
William Butler Yeats (1865 - 1939)
By: John Singer Sargent
"A poem...begins as a lump in the throat, a sense of wrong, a homesickness, a lovesickness. It is a reaching-out toward expression; an effort to find fulfillment. A complete poem is one where an emotion finds the thought and the thought finds the words."
- Lucille Clifton
The Poet Max Hermann Neisse
By: George Grosz
Portrait of Rabindranath Tagore
By: Surjit Akre
The Poetry of Mihai Eminescu
By: "Group Writers" from Baicoi, Romania
AUDIO
Carl Sandburg Reads Poetry For Children, 1959
During his lifetime, Sandburg was widely regarded as "a major figure in contemporary literature"
My Hero Poetry Salon: Wild Geese
By: Written by Mary Oliver
Read by Olivia Milch
Poet Hero: Langston Hughes | Trumpet Player: 52nd Street
Listen to "Trumpet Player," by Langston Hughes, an exploration of African American identity through the character of a jazz trumpeter.
MY HERO Art of Healing Celebration
Art of Healing banner
Credit: MY HERO
April is Jazz and Poetry appreciation month. Join MY HERO in a global celebration of the art of healing using art, film, music, and poetry. You are invited to submit your projects to share with the MY HERO global community.
How to use MY HERO's Create Program to Publish Poetry, Stories, Art, Film, and Audio
How to use MY HERO's Create Program to Publish Stories, Art, Film and Audio for Students
Tutorial for students: Publish written stories, film, original artwork and audio in MY HERO's multimedia library.
