About National Poetry Day
First established in 1997, National Poetry Day is a one-day national poetry event extravaganza held on a Friday in late August each year. For 2023, Phantom Billstickers National Poetry Day will be held on Friday 25 August!
At 2022's celebration, the magic and excitement of poetry pervaded the day, with the poetry community turning out in person to discover New Zealand poets, share poetry, and experience the joy of the written and spoken word. There was something for everybody, from seasoned poets, to total newbies, to the simply-a-bit-curious!
Poetry appeared on beaches, on streets, in hospitals, in churches, and on public transport! Bookshops, marae, libraries, universities and schools hosted events such as book launches, poetry slams, readings, workshops, open mic nights, and performances. The events were all organised by poetry-loving volunteers and involved thousands of people in towns and cities all across the motu.
There was a massive amount of joyous energy created in 2022, and we're looking forward to that energy firing up again for 2023!
If you'd like to get involved for 2023, by running or organising an event, please check out this page.
To find out more about last year's event, see here:
- Read more about what happened here.
- You can view the 2022 calendar National Calendar of Events here.
- You can view the 2022 Competitions Calendar here.
Phantom Billstickers National Poetry Day is governed by the New Zealand Book Awards Trust Te Ohu Tiaki i Te Rau Hiringa, and supported by Phantom Billstickers. To find out more about our amazing sponsor, click on the bulldog below.
