Since the Poet Laureateship was created by an act of Congress in 1985, nearly half of the laureates have taken on a signature project to raise the national appreciation of poetry. Learn about and explore these dynamic projects—with a digital presence—here.
Poet Laureate Projects
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You Are Here: Poetry in the Natural World/Poetry in Parks The 2024 signature project by Poet Laureate Ada Limón features two major initiatives, an anthology of 50 commissioned nature poems and poetry installed as public art in seven national parks across the country, as well as a call for the public to participate. -
In Praise of Mystery: A Poem for Europa As part of her laureateship, Ada Limón wrote an original poem, "In Praise of Mystery: A Poem for Europa," dedicated to NASA's Europa Clipper mission. -
Living Nations, Living Words Created in 2020 by Poet Laureate Joy Harjo, this project gathers a sampling of work by 47 contemporary Native poets from across the nation to show that Native people and poets have vital and unequivocal roots in the United States. The project features an interactive Story Map and a newly developed audio collection. -
American Conversations: Celebrating Poems in Rural Communities During 2018, Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith visited rural communities around the country and gave away copies of her anthology, American Journal: Fifty Poems for Our Time, to spark conversations about the power of poetry. -
The Technicolor Adventures of Catalina Neon Poet Laureate Juan Felipe Herrera and artist Juana Medina created this bilingual, illustrated poem in 2016-2017 with input from second and third graders and their school librarians from around the country. -
La Casa de Colores In 2015, Poet Laureate Juan Felipe Herrera established La Casa de Colores as “a house for all voices” with two features: La Familia, an epic crowdsourced poem, with monthly themes; and El Jardín, monthly updates of Herrera's experiences with the wealth of materials at the Library of Congress. -
Where Poetry Lives Launched in 2013 by Poet Laureate Natasha Trethewey, this project featured a series of reports with PBS NewsHour Senior Correspondent Jeffrey Brown as part of the show's Poetry Series. These reports, with Trethewey speaking in locations across the country, explored societal issues through poetry's focused lens. -
Poetry for the Mind's Joy Poet Laureate Kay Ryan created this project in 2009 to promote the hard work of the staffs and students in American community colleges. To this end, the Library sponsored a video conference with Ryan and students from community colleges, as well as a poetry writing contest open to community college students. -
American Life in Poetry Poet Laureate Ted Kooser founded this project in 2004 to create a space and a presence for poetry in American culture. American Life in Poetry provided newspapers and online periodicals with a free weekly column by Kooser that featured a poem from a contemporary American poet. -
Poetry 180 In an effort to make poetry an active part in the daily experience of American high school students, this project, launched in 2002 during Billy Collins’ tenure as Poet Laureate, gives students a chance to read or listen to a poem on each of the 180 days of the school year. -
The Favorite Poem Project In 1997, Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky launched this project as a way to celebrate, document, and encourage a public appreciation of poetry as well as acknowledge the role of poetry in the everyday lives of Americans. The project called for Americans to share their favorite poems with the nation.