April is National Poetry Month, launched by the Academy of American Poets in April 1996 to remind the public that poets have an integral role to play in our culture and that poetry matters.  Since then, it has become one of the largest literary celebrations in the world.

Keith Haring was deeply impacted by poetry, writing in his Journals in the Fall of 1979, “I have been enlightened.  I have fell into poetry and it has swallowed me up.”  You can read what Keith wrote about poetry in his Journals, which he titled, “The Chunk Called Poetry,” below.

To learn more about National Poetry Month, and how to become involved in the celebration of poetry, visit the website of the Academy of American Poets.