This year, to go along with the historical impact of correspondance in poetry, there is a very cool, interactive component to National Poetry Month: Dear Poet Project
"In the spirit of Rainer Maria Rilke's Letters to a Young Poet, in which Rilke replies to letters from a young military cadet and aspiring poet asking for his advice, we are inviting students to engage with poetry by handwriting letters to some of the poets who serve on the Academy American Poets's Board of Chancellors" (poets.org).The way young people can participate is by picking a poem from the Board of Chancellors, reading it, and then responding to it by letter. They can send in their letters (the address is found at the link above), and they my be featured on Poets.org, and be responded to by the poet! Just something fun for teens and tweens to do, and a fun project for a English class to participate it.
To get a feel for the project, check out the example letter here, as well as picking up a copy of Letters to a Young Poet to read yourself!
