RSVP for this free virtual workshop.

To kick off National Poetry Month and in support of the 5th Annual Gwendolyn Brooks Youth Poetry Awards (GBYPA), Illinois Humanities is hosting a free workshop on strategies for teaching poetry to young people for teachers, parents, and adults who work with youth.

Facilitated by award-winning poet Dr. Tara Betts, this one-hour workshop will introduce participants to the Gwendolyn Brooks Youth Poetry Awards, a contest for youth poets in grades K-12 originally started by Pulitzer Prize winning poet Gwendolyn Brooks in 1970, and focus on poetry writing exercises that teachers can use in the classroom or parents and guardians can use at home.

Help us celebrate the power of youth voice by encouraging the young people in your life to express themselves through poetry and submit to the contest where they can win cash prizes and free books! The deadline for submitting to the Gwendolyn Brooks Youth Poetry Awards is Monday, May 31, 2021.