The Young American Poetry Digest

As educators, we are well aware of the importance of providing opportunities for students to share their writing with a wider audience. However, such opportunities are indeed limited — that’s why we launched a project thirty-one years ago designed to encourage students to write creatively and receive recognition for their efforts. We work with librarians and teachers from around the nation.
The purpose of the National Schools Project is to encourage student writing and provide an audience for student poetry. We want kids excited about writing. We provide a free book to every participating school library and do not require that a book be purchased in order for a child to see his/her poem in print.
Each January, schools across the nation are invited to participate in the project. The poems submitted by schools are reviewed by teachers/educators who select the best poems for publication.
Taking in mind the student’s age and grade level, the overall quality of the poem is determined by the following criteria:

• Creativity
• Age-appropriate language
• Sensory/figurative images
• Structure
• Poetic techniques

Special circumstances – supplied by submitting teacher – we will publish a child’s poem if requested by a teacher who knows the effort and accomplishment a poem represents for a particular student regardless of age/grade or for other reasons (i.e. help raise a child’s self-esteem, recognize a child who has suffered a loss, etc.)

If you have any questions or wish to contact us for any reason, please email us at [email protected].