Join LTS for our 8th annual celebration of National Poetry Month. Every April since 1996, the Academy of American Poets has sponsored a month-long celebration of poetry. Lehigh has participated in National Poetry Month since 2019 with poetry readings, scholarly talks, and poetry workshops. This year’s celebration will include the following events:

Tending to the Past: A Conversation with Smithsonian Curator Dorothy Berry

Wednesday, April 1

4:00PM to 4:30PM | Tending to the Past art exhibition Open House | FML 6th Floor South
4:30PM | Booktalk with Dorothy Berry | LTS CIRCLE

In this talk, Dorothy Berry, a curator at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, will discuss her book, The House Archives Built and Other Thoughts on Black Archival Possibilities, which examines how archives shape our understanding of history and explores new futures for preserving Black memory within and beyond traditional institutions. In the spirit of Lucille Clifton’s poem, “i am accused of tending to the past,” Berry’s work invites us to consider how tending to history is itself a creative and liberatory act.

The talk includes a Q+A, free copies of The House Archives Built as well as books of poetry by Lucille Clifton, and is paired with a 4:00 p.m. open house of the Tending to the Past art exhibition on the 6th floor of the library. Refreshments will be served.

Register at go.lehigh.edu/tending

Dorothy Berry is an archivist, curator, and writer whose practice focuses on contemporary collecting and community-centered archival practice. Her work examines how archives shape our understanding of history and challenges institutions to think critically about whose stories are preserved and how. She is a leading voice in conversations about ethical collecting, archival justice, and expanding how cultural heritage institutions document Black life.

The Turing Test: Verse vs. Virtual

Tuesday, April 14, 4:00 PM, Scheler Humanities Forum (Linderman 200)

Join us for The Turing Test: Verse vs. Virtual, an interactive poetry showdown designed for the curious, the skeptical, and the literary-minded. In an era where Large Language Models can mimic the cadence of Plath or the grit of Bukowski, we’re putting your intuition to the ultimate test.

Register at: go.lehigh.edu/turingtest

Sonnet Slam / 2026 Amaranth issue launch

Tuesday April 28, noon to 1:00 pm, Linderman 200

To celebrate the launch of the 2026 issue of Amaranth, Lehigh Libraries will host a Sonnet Slam moderated by Professor Bob Watts (English). Poets published in the latest issue of Amaranth will be featured readers, but all are welcome to read their own poetry. This event is a collaboration between Lehigh Libraries, the Lehigh Creative Writing Program, and the LTS Diversity & Inclusion Committee. Pizza will be served. Registration required.

Poem in Your Pocket Day

Thursday, April 30, all day

Once again, Lehigh is celebrating Poem In Your Pocket Day. On April 30th, select a poem from the bowls on the circulation desks in Linderman Library and Fairchild-Martindale Library. Read it, share a line with a friend, or keep it as a private inspiration! Poems available while supplies last. 

OverDrive

Discover and read a diverse selection of poets in this year's Poetry Month OverDrive Collection, which includes titles from Sonia Sanchez, Amanda Gorman, Yung Pueblo, among many others. There is also a small collection of poetry books available in the LTS CIRCLE curated specially for National Poetry Month.

If you're new to OverDrive, please follow these directions for setting up an account.

We hope you can join us for some or all of our events!

Lehigh Libraries