Happy #NationalPoetryMonth! Founded in April 1996 by @POETSorg, National Poetry Month is the largest celebration in the world that honors the importance of poetry. 1/9

Several United States presidents wrote poetry throughout their lives. Links to presidential poetry are included in this thread, spanning from President George Washington to President Barack Obama. 2/9

President Washington’s poetry was related to his romantic interests. Two poems attributed to Washington express his love for young women he knew. 3/9

Read President Washington’s love poems here: https://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/prespoetry/gw.html

President Madison began writing poetry during his college years. He published pieces in school publications but did not pursue a career as a poet. 4/9

Read President Madison’s collegiate poems here: https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Madison/01-01-02-0011

President Abraham Lincoln wrote his most notable poem, “My Childhood’s Home I See Again,” in 1846, reflecting on his early life in Indiana. He wrote poetry throughout his life, even writing a poem to commemorate the Union’s victory at Gettysburg. 5/9

Images: Library of Congress

Shortly after his 1848 death, several of President John Quincy Adams’s poems were published in Poems of Religion and Society, edited by Senators Thomas Hart Benton and John Davis. 6/9

Read President John Quincy Adam’s poems here:
https://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/prespoetry/jqa.html

In 1995, President Jimmy Carter published Always a Reckoning, and Other Poems. It established President Carter as the first U.S. president to write and publish a book of poetry in presidential history. 7/9

Learn more: https://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/prespoetry/jc.html

President Obama, similar to President Madison, wrote and published poems in his college publication. He was committed to including poetry in his celebration of the arts during his presidency. 8/9

Read President Obama’s poetry here:
https://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/prespoetry/bo.html

As we celebrate #NationalPoetryMonth, we celebrate our leaders who have made contributions, both major and minor, to the art form of poetry. 9/9