Recommended Field Trips:
Poetry Field Trips in NYC

Any season is the perfect time to take a walk in the park to read or write poetry, but there are several other places where you can find workshops, readings, and inspiration.

Poets House offers Poems by Children; Poetry activities for toddlers — Thursdays at 10, for ages 4 – 10 Saturdays at 11 in the Children's Room; and Poetry events for Children.

The American Poets' Corner at the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine, 112th Street and Amsterdam Avenue, one block east of Broadway. Submit a poem to their Poetry Wall. Poems can be signed or unsigned and in all languages. Poems can be sent to: The Muriel Rukeyser Poetry Wall, The Cathedral Church of St John the Divine, 1047 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY 10025. The Cathedral Church offers group tours and workshops for kids. Don't miss the Peace Fountain outside the Cathedral, encircled by several small, whimsical animal figures in bronze made from pieces sculpted by children.

Poetry Workshops for Kids and Adults

(Many of these events occur in April, 2013. Check the sources for other poetry events happening soon.)

FREE NYPL poetry workshops for teens: Well Versed: Urban Word

• April 11, 18, and 25 at Inwood Library
• May 7, 14, and 21 at Port Richmond Library, Staten Island

FREE poetry workshops for ages 6 and up: Blown Away by Poetry:

• Staten Island:
  April 10 at the Dongan Hills Library
  April 11 at the New Dorp Library
  April 25 at the Port Richmond Library
• Bronx:
  April 16 at the Highbridge Library
  April 17 at the Grand Concourse Library

April 7th from noon - 2 pm, Celebrate National Poetry Month at Books of Wonder, 18 West 18th Street, Manhattan. FREE event with readings of poetry by Marilyn Singer, Alan Katz, Robert Weinstock, and Stephanie Camelson.

Poetry Readings

The Poetry Society of America has several NYC events scheduled for April all over town, with FREE readings at Grand Central Terminal (hear Billy Collins! Wed. April 10, 7 pm, Vanderbilt Hall), John Ashbery at NYU (FREE, April 11, 7 pm, NYU Global Ctr.238 Thompson St., Level C Auditorium) and chapbook readings at the Strand Bookstore (March 28, April 18, and May 30, 7 pm — $10 fee).

The Nuyorican Poets Café, 236 East 3rd Street Between Ave B & C, hosts Poetry Slams every Wed. and Friday nights including college night and open mike hours. These events are frequently attended by children and teens, open to all ages but geared for adults. Entrance fees usually range from $5-10.

The Urban Word NYC Teen Poetry Slam happens every year in March, with trails starting in Nuyorican Poets Café and final competitors ending up at the Apollo Theater:

Outside NYC:

• Visit Walt Whitman's home