Take Your Poet to Work Day 2023: Date, History, Facts, Activities

On Take Your Poet to Work Day, observed annually on the third Wednesday of July, poetry enthusiasts shift into high gear. This year’s date is July 19. Not literally, although that would be awesome, poetry lovers all over the globe carry their favourite poets to work. People carry cutouts of poets in their pockets, position them on their desks, and store them in their desk drawers. This provides them with additional motivation throughout the day.

Since 2013, this day has been sponsored by Tweetspeak Poetry. They even published a poet colouring book in 2020 to facilitate participation in the festivities. Take Your Poet to Work Day has become one of the most well-known public poetry celebrations. It has introduced people to new poets and given them the opportunity to incorporate poetry into their daily lives.

The background of Take Your Poet to Work Day

Put the Poet to Work Day honours poets and poetry and allows individuals to bring their favourite poets with them throughout the day. The originators of this holiday created it to encourage poetry-averse individuals to explore this art form.

Since its inception, this day has been extensively celebrated on social media as well as offline. Microsoft Lumia, the Scottish Parliament, Subway, NASA, Playstation, Subway, Cisco, and the Smithsonian have all hosted events.

Poetry originated as an oral art form before it was recorded in writing. According to historians, the earliest poetry was most likely recited or performed. Poems were used to document oral history, genealogy, and the law. Mesopotamia’s earliest cuneiform-recorded poems date back more than 5,000 years and were composed more than 5,000 years ago. They were written on clay tablets and described in detail how ancient kings governed their subjects. Poetry and musical traditions are inextricably linked, and the earliest poetry exists in the form of hymns and chanting. Poems were an integral part of religious ceremonies or passage rituals such as weddings and funerals.

Numerous individuals continue to use this form of spoken-word art at events such as marriages, funerals, and presidential inaugurations, which typically feature professional performances.

Poetry has been used to communicate profound ideas, and it was once regarded by many as the pinnacle form of literature. This is due to its effective use of all eight elements of speech to convey ideas.

Bring your poet to workday activities.

Collect early examples of poetry

Locate various editions and translations of early poetry and collect early examples of poetry. This can be an exhilarating challenge and help you identify the forms, themes, and images that appear in contemporary works.

Put the poet to work

Purchase the colouring book, colour your favourite poet’s portrait, and then cut it out along the dashed line. Attach it to a popsicle pole, and there you have it! You have a companion for the remainder of the day, or for however long you desire.

Recite a poem

Make the day more enjoyable by reciting a poem to a coworker. Just make sure it’s about an interesting subject or motif!

5 INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT POEMS

Poems were once a form of nonverbal communication; therefore, if an individual was captured by the adversary, he would leave poems on walls or trees.

Poets of the modern era frequently use other forms of expression, such as illustrations, to present their work.

Romantic poets were considered more approachable than their predecessors because they wrote about everyday life rather than abstract concepts that were inaccessible to the average reader.

The dread of poetry is known as ’emetophobia.’

George Cudmore’s skin was used to bound the 1852 edition of John Milton’s “Poetical Works.”

TAKE YOUR POET TO WORK DAY DATES

Year	Date	Day
2022	July 20	Wednesday
2023	July 19	Wednesday
2024	July 17	Wednesday
2025	July 16	Wednesday
2026	July 15	Wednesday