World Poetry Day Celebrates Literature and the Arts

For poets and lovers of literature and all the arts, World Poetry Day on March 21 is for you. That’s the day back in 1999 that the United Nations declared National Poetry Day, for cultural organizations, schools, libraries, and publishers worldwide to celebrate the art of poetry. And GrantWatch honors the important place poetry has in Arts and Culture with a special category that lists hundreds of open grants.

World Poetry Day is a great time to introduce children to poetry in the classroom. And poets worldwide read and share their work at book stores, cafes, universities, and schools on or around this special day. Also there are awards and poetry readings also help to wake people up to the fact that poetry is all around us.

So these are some of the ways to honor poets, who give so much of themselves through their words. For many poets, writing is a path to truth, about themselves and the world. And the words of Black American poet Langston Hughes written nearly 100 years ago still ring true:

“An artist must be free to choose what he does, certainly, but he must also never be afraid to do what he might choose.” — Langston Hughes

Two Poems in Honor of World Poetry Day

You see, poetry is timeless in how it can speaks to a place inside each of us that is both personal and universal. These verses below we share In honor of World Poetry Day are great examples, written long, long ago.

In 1861, Emily Dickinson wrote “Hope” is the thing with feathers, and here is the first, striking verse:

“Hope” is the thing with feathers –
That perches in the soul –
And sings the tune without the words –
And never stops – at all –

And Langston Hughes wrote this poem that speaks to the spirit alive in us all:

Dreams

Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.
Hold fast to dreams
For when dreams go
Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow.

Poets Can Find Support 365 Days a Year at GrantWatch

It’s true that most poets can’t make a living through writing poetry. It’s worth noting that only 10 of Emily Dickinson’s nearly 1,800 poems are known to have been published in her lifetime. That’s one of the reasons it’s important to honor poets on World Poetry Day — and every day of the year.

To help poets and writers of all kinds of literature, GrantWatch lists grants every day around writing and literature. Here are a few:

• A Grant To Promote Poetry in American Culture is available nonprofit organizations in the USA.
• And this Grant for Students to Recognize Outstanding Writing is available to US, Canadian and international students.
• There’s also this Grant for the Translation of French Literature is open to American authors, publisher, translators and literary agents.
• And there are two grants open for writers in Ontario, Canada: The first Grants to Support Literary Projects by Emerging and Established Literary Artists in Toronto of up to $10,000. And, writers across Ontario can apply for Grants to Literary Artists to Create Works for Publication Online or in Print.

GrantWatch has an entire grant category for Literacy & Libraries, too. This category has over 400 grant opportunities right now. And our Arts and Culture category with over 2,000 grants that cover so many of the Arts. And a subscription to GrantWatch unlocks features to narrow down your search to find just the right grant,

If you would like more information on any of these grants or grant categories don’t hesitate to call our customer service team at (561) 249-4129.