Guides: Poetry in Government Publications: Home

About Poetry in Government Publications

Government agencies may not seem like the most likely source of poetry, but there have been several agencies over the years that have promoted the writing and reading of poetry, found ways to heal through poetry, used poetry as a teaching tool, and celebrated the performance of poetry. This is a selection of government publications that contain poems, poetic criticism, or other information relating to poetry.

Poetry in the Library of Congress

Library of Congress Poetry and Literature Program is a comprehensive guide to poetry resources available on the Library of Congress Web site. The Library of Congress promotes poetry and literature year-round through online and in-person programs; honors and prizes; and the Poet Laureate and Youth Ambassadors. You can explore all these resources and more through the LC Poetry and Literature webpages.

Bookmarked: Celebrating Contemporary Books and Authors at the Library
This Library of Congress blog highlights books from the Library of Congress collection as well as living authors who add hundreds of books to their collections every day. Learn about the U.S. Poet Laureate and the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, access short excerpts from author talks. and find out about upcoming events, including the annual National Book Festival.
Finding Poems
Is there a poem you half-remember—maybe you can quote a line or phrase, or you think you know the author, but can't remember the title? This is a list of tools and resources from the Library of Congress that can help you identify that elusive poem using whatever information you might have. And remember, if none of these suggestions proves helpful, you can always Ask Us.
From the Catbird Seat: Poetry and Literature at the Library of Congress
A blog celebrating the Center and the wealth of literary resources at the Library of Congress, as well as engaging with current topics in literature. In 2023 "From the Catbird Seat" was replaced by the "Bookmarked" blog, which combines "From the Catbird Seat" with the National Book Festival blog.
Library of Congress Classroom Materials: Found Poetry
To create a found poem, students select words, phrases, lines, and sentences from one or more written documents and combine them into a poem. Raw material for found poems can be selected from newspaper articles, speeches, diaries, advertisements, letters, food menus, brochures, short stories, manuscripts of plays, shopping lists, and even other poems. A set of Library text resources written by well-known authors is provided in this Primary Source Set.

Library of Congress Magazine by Library of Congress, Office of Communications
Call Number: LC 1.18: year/no.
Publication Date: 2012-present
Poetry Nation (Library of Congress Magazine, Volume 4, No. 2) is an entire issue of this magazine devoted to the discussion of poetry in the United States. It includes articles on reading poems out loud, encouraging young people to read and write poetry, American women poets, and more. Other issues also occasionally contain articles related to poetry.

National Ambassador for Young People's Literature
The National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature (sometimes called "Youth Ambassador") raises national awareness of the importance of young people’s literature as it relates to lifelong literacy, education, and the development and betterment of the lives of young people. This website includes a profile of the current Youth Ambassador, a history of the position, and a list of all who have held this office.
Poet Laureate
This webpage includes a profile of the current Poet Laureate, a history of the position, links to signature projects initiated by each poet laureate, and a list of all who have held this office.

Poetry’s Catbird Seat: The Consultantship in Poetry in the English Language at the Library of Congress, 1937-1987 by William McGuire
Call Number: LC 1.2:P 75/6
ISBN: 0844405868
Publication Date: 1988
A detailed and authoritative history of the Consultantship in Poetry.
Poetry's "Catbird Seat" at 60: A Celebration of the 60th Anniversary of the Consultants in Poetry and the Poets Laureate, A Reading in the Great Hall of the Library of Congress, Thursday, April 24, 1997 by Library of Congress.
Call Number: LC 1.2:P 75/9
Publication Date: 1997
In 1936, the late Archer M. Huntington endowed the Chair of Poetry at the Library of Congress. Since then, many of the nation's most eminent poets have served as Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress and, after the passage of Public Law 99–194, as Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry. The Poet Laureate suggests authors to read in the literary series, plans other special literary events during the reading season, and usually introduces the programs. The poems contained in this special keepsake booklet were submitted by their authors to commemorate this anniversary.

Poetry in ERIC (Education Resources Information Center)

ERIC is a comprehensive, easy-to-use, searchable, Internet-based bibliographic and full-text database of education research and information. ERIC indexes education research found in journal articles, books, and gray literature. (Gray literature includes materials produced by nonprofits, advocacy organizations, government agencies, and other sources not typically made available by commercial publishers). Depending on the copyright status, materials indexed in the ERIC database may be available as full text or as a citation to an external source.

The ERIC database contains many useful articles and books on using poetry in the classroom, either teaching about poetry itself, or using poetry to enhance the teaching of other subjects. These are just a few examples of the intriguing and innovative content you can find here.

"#Poetryisnotdead: Understanding Instagram Poetry within a Transliteracies Framework," by Kate Kovalik and Jen Scott Curwood
Young people today are composing multimodal creative works, including digital poetry, to share with an online audience, using platforms such as Instagram. Literary works on Instagram typically encourage community and interaction (especially regarding feedback); provide poets with opportunities and technical resources for multimodality; and provide mobility and accessibility for composing and consuming poetry in a digital format. Incorporating Instapoetry in English pedagogy thus results in increased exposure and relevance of poetry writing and appreciation; a space for student-centered writing, reading, and analysis of poems; and a relevant method of peer review and collaboration. A link to the full text of the article is provided.
Free Minds Book Club: Students Reading and Responding to Incarcerated Writers' Poetry, by Bonnie Gasior
Free Minds Book Club is part of a youth intervention program based in Washington, D.C. that underscores the life-changing power of reading and writing. During their monthly "Write Night," students, faculty, staff, and community members to read and respond to poetry written by incarcerated authors. The program engages inmates in poetic self-expression, reflection, and personal growth while challenging honors students to consider what they have learned in literature classes in a broader context of incarceration. Monthly write-nights via Zoom and Miro have proved rich and cathartic during the coronavirus pandemic. Includes a link to the full text of the document.
"Green Writing: The Influence of Natural Spaces on Primary Students' Poetic Writing in the UK and Australia," by Paul Gardner and Sonja Kuzich
This study contrasts the experiences of students writing about nature from within the classroom, using a vicarious experience of nature as a stimulus, versus students who write their poems based on a direct experience of nature. The results suggest that standards of writing improve when students are given direct contact with natural spaces and are scaffolded to elicit their poetic voice. A direct link to the scholarly, peer-reviewed article is provided.
"Poetic License: Using Documentary Poetry to Teach International Law Students Paraphrase Skills," by Robin Nilon
In this article, the author shows how the study of the poems of the 20th-centruy American lawyer Charles Reznikoff helps teach the critical art of paraphrase to International law students. Drawing on the fields of ESL, Composition, and Legal Writing, she shows how the study of the poetry helps students learn US-style legal writing. By summarizing Reznikoff's poems about reported cases into prose form and transforming reported cases into poetry, students develop their paraphrase skills and become more familiar with policy analysis. The skills developed through these exercises can also be applied by students in the humanities, sciences, and social sciences—any field that values critical thinking and writing. A link to the full text of the article is provided.
Teaching Poetry Writing to Adolescents, by Joseph I. Tsujimato
The purpose of this book is to serve as a general model for the teaching of poetry writing. Though originally intended for teachers of seventh and eighth graders, it is equally applicable for elementary, high school, and college teachers. Chapter 1 introduces the teacher and his students; Chapter 2 establishes the theoretical groundwork upon which the classroom assignments were developed; and Chapter 3 presents 18 poetry assignments found to be effective in the classroom. This book was developed during the time period when the ERIC Clearinghouse on Reading and Communication Skills (ERIC/RCS) was
sponsored by the National Council of Teachers of English. Prepared with funding from the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Educational Research and Improvement, the manuscript was submitted to the National Council of Teachers of English for critical review and determination of professional competence. The full text is available for download through ERIC.
"Three Poets on the Teaching of Poetry," by John Cooke and Jeanie Thompson
This peer-reviewed scholarly article contains interviews with professional poets Tess Gallagher, Sandra McPherson, and Galway Kinnell, focusing on their attitudes towards teaching poetry writing, successful poetry teaching methods, and activities that encourage students to read and write poetry. The full text of the article is not available in ERIC, but a citation to the journal is provided: College English, v42 n2 p133-41 Oct 1980.
"Writing and Reading Multiplicity in the Uni-Verse: Engagements with Mathematics through Poetry," by Nenad Radakovic, Susan Jagger, and Limin Jao
This peer-reviewed article explores the reading and writing of mathematical poetry from the perspective and experience of math teachers. The authors propose that students can engage in the continual and collective process of knowing mathematics by reading and writing poetry. Includes a direct link to the full text of the article.

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About Poetry in Government Publications

Poetry in the Library of Congress

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Poetry in Government Publications

About Poetry in Government Publications

Poetry in the Library of Congress

Poetry in ERIC (Education Resources Information Center)

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