National Poetry Day
Win with National Poetry Day!
It’s National Poetry Day on 3rd October, a day for everyone to share their favourite poetry.
Here are three ways you can join in, and a special competition too!
1. Learn your favourite poem off by heart and recite it to your friends, your family, or your pet!
2. Get together with your friends and hold a poetry slam. A poetry slam is a poetry competition where poems are judged by the audience who give each poem a mark. People take turn to read their favourite poems – or poems they have written – and after each poem the audience holds up score cards (1-5). You can hold rounds, with one person going out in each round until you have a winner.
3. Write a poem! Why not write a poem of your own and share it for National Poetry Day! If you’re not sure where to start, there are lots of ideas on the National Poetry Day website, but here are some top tips from National Poetry Day Ambassadors:
Joseph Coelho says: “Observe the world around you. Poems are hiding in the rustle of leaves, in the conversations of bus stops, lurking under arches and in forest groves. Make it a habit to look out for poems, for ideas that strike as you wander the world.”
Rachel Rooney says: “Good poems very rarely arrive on the page straight away – they often need to be coaxed into being. Writing a poem involves plenty of daydreaming, scribblings, crossings out, shuffling and replacing words. Once you have written a first draft, it helps to put it away then revisit it later with fresh eyes and fresh ears. Can you polish it further to make it really shine?”
Karl Nova says: “Don’t second guess yourself when you get an idea. Just write whatever is in your heart down. It doesn’t have to rhyme or even make full sense at first just put it down especially when you feel that idea in bubbling inside or have a light bulb moment.”
We’d love to see your poems!
Send them to [email protected] or ask your teacher to post them on social media using #NationalPoetryDay
Plus! We’ve got a set of ten great new poetry books for children to give away.
To be in with a chance of winning, simply tell us how you’re going to celebrate National Poetry Day.
Email your entries to [email protected]
The closing date is midnight on Wednesday 2nd October.