Media Partnerships

American Life in Poetry

American Life in Poetry is a free weekly column for newspapers, online publications, and individuals that features contemporary American poems selected and introduced by former US Poet Laureate Ted Kooser. Nationally syndicated to millions of readers across the country each week, the column is funded by the Poetry Foundation with administrative support provided by the English Department of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Children’s Poetry Programming from HBO

The Poetry Foundation has partnered with HBO to produce two specials designed to introduce children to poetry through animation and song. Classical Baby (I’m Grown Up Now): The Poetry Show features the voice talents of Susan Sarandon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Geoffrey Wright, Andy Garcia, and John Lithgow. The show received an Emmy® for Outstanding Children’s Program in 2008. A Child’s Garden of Poetry features readings from Claire Danes, Carrie Fisher, Josh Hamilton, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ziggy Marley, Dave Matthews, Natalie Merchant, Julianne Moore, Liam Neeson, and Jeffrey Wright. The show received an Emmy® for Outstanding Children’s Program in 2011. Both shows are available on DVD.

National Public Radio and NPR.org

The Poetry Foundation’s support allows NPR to produce more stories about poetry on the radio and online and to create innovative features like “NewsPoet,” in which a poet is invited into the NPR All Things Considered newsroom to see how the show comes together and to write an original poem about the news. Featured poets include Tracy K. Smith, Craig Morgan Teicher, and Kevin Young.

New York Times Poetry Pairing

In the weekly “Poetry Pairing” series, the Poetry Foundation collaborates with The Learning Network of the New York Times to feature a poem from Poetry magazine or from the public domain alongside content from the Times that somehow echoes, extends, or challenges the poem’s themes.

PBS NewsHour

The Poetry Series, featured on the PBS NewsHour and funded by the Poetry Foundation, engages a broader audience with poetry through a series of thoughtful, in-depth reports on contemporary poets and poetry. The series includes short-form profiles of living American poets and long-form segments on current debates in poetry. Segments in the series have featured Washington, DC-area high school students as they prepare for and participate in the national poetry recitation contest, reports on the poetry of the Middle East and the business of publishing poetry, and profiles of poets, including Galway Kinnell, Lucille Clifton, John Ashbery, Li-Young Lee, Natasha Trethewey, and Naomi Shihab Nye.

Reader’s Digest

The Poetry Foundation partners with Reader’s Digest to provide contemporary poetry to the magazine’s loyal and extensive audience. Reader’s Digest publishes a different poem in each issue.

The Writer’s Almanac

Garrison Keillor recounts the literary highlights of this day in history and reads a poem in this beloved daily radio program. Heard by millions of listeners on hundreds of public radio stations across the country, the show is supported by the Poetry Foundation.

Poetry Everywhere

A series of short poetry films designed to be free interstitial content on public television stations across the county, Poetry Everywhere features contemporary and classical poems read by poets and celebrities. The series was created by the Poetry Foundation in collaboration with WGBH/Boston and docUWM.

Poetry Radio Project

American Public Media and the Poetry Foundation collaborated to launch the Poetry Radio Project in an effort to bring the unique perspectives of poets to APM's news and entertainment programs including Marketplace, Performance Today, On Being, The Story, Weekend America, and The Splendid Table. Through features and conversations with poets in a variety of contexts, the project enriched and deepened listeners' perspectives on global events and American culture and expanded listeners' engagement with contemporary and classical poetry.

Poetry Tours

The Poetry Tours series, produced by the Poetry Foundation, encourages listeners to explore the history of select cities through poetry. You can take a virtual tour online or download an audio version to your mp3 player and take the tour on foot. The online tours feature archival and contemporary recordings of poets and scholars, local music, and historic photographs.

Start Chicago Poetry Tour

Start DC Poetry Tour