People may talk about poems as though they exist in the past, but the craft is anything but stagnant. In order to recognize this, The Academy of American Poets first started celebrating April as National Poetry Month in 1996. They were inspired by how Black History Month and Women’s History Month brought attention to a subject. It’s now the largest literary celebration in the world, according to their website. Readers and writers alike have their ways of celebrating. For some, April is a time to buckle down and write a poem a day. For others, it’s a good time to get involved in the first place.

This April, 14 East gathered reading recommendations from English and creative writing professors at DePaul. With suggestions ranging from Walt Whitman’s “Leaves of Grass” to contemporary Natalie Shapero’s “Hard Child,” the reading list holds a variety of both time period and subject matter to finish out the month’s celebration. Professors chose work that they continue to reach for after years of reading, collections that blend different emotions and resonate as full bodies of work. Whether you’re looking for a fresh collection to curl up with or something to help you start reading poetry for the first time, you’ll find something in a recommendation from DePaul’s very own.