World Poetry Day 2026

World Poetry Day takes place annually on the 21st of March and was first established and adopted by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) in the year 1999. This was finalised during the 30th General Conference, which they held in Paris during that year, with the fundamental goal being to promote and bring about a fresh awareness, appreciation for and love of poetry and poetic works globally. It also promotes linguistic diversity fostered in many different forms of poetry, which helps to bring together various cultures and traditions. Poetry takes a range of different forms, some of which include:

  • Sonnets: Poems consisting of 14 lines of text with a set rhyme scheme in place.
  • Free Verse: Poetry without a specific or strict rhyme scheme, allowing the poet more freedom in terms of poetic rhythm and expression.
  • Ballad: A narrative piece of work which is often musical and highly expressive. This type of poetry is usually made up of four-line stanzas.
  • Villanelle: This type of poem usually consists of 19 lines of text with a very particular, repetitive refrain.

The History of Poetry

Poetry as a form of literature, art and expression goes back as far as the prehistoric age, with some of the earliest poetry being thought to have emerged from the “Epic of Gilgamesh” which dates back as far as 2000 BC and consists of five individual Sumerian poems dedicated to the King of Urk (c. 2100 BC) as well as focusing on themes such as friendship and mortality. In fact, poetry is very likely to have existed well before this historical era. Poetry from both this prehistoric age up until the present day has also addressed similar themes as well as many others, such as love, passion, ambition, hope, wonder and family, to give a few examples. Poetry also often addresses, expresses and explores more negative themes such as grief, loss, sadness, disappointment and anger (to give a few examples here too)! Many different forms and varieties of poetry and poetic works exist as well, such as sonnets and rap lyrics, but the primary objective of poetic literature is often the same, and that is to explore human emotions, experiences, as well as invoke similar emotions through words and expression.

How to celebrate World Poetry Day

If you are a poetry lover or curious about the world of poetic literature, there are several ways in which you can engage with and celebrate this national day…

  • Write a poem of your own: Why not give it a go! Use this international day as an opportunity and let it inspire you to write your very own poem and share it with others if you wish to.
  • Support poets by sharing and purchasing their work: Take this opportunity to share a favourite poem (or set of poems if you feel you can’t just pick one!) with family and friends, as well as on social media platforms to promote and encourage engagement with the works of various poets, and poetry in general. Purchasing poetic works and even donating to poetry organisations is also a great way of supporting poets and poetry communities.
  • Open-mic nights, poetry events and readings: Attend local events and readings nearby – whether you are just going to listen to others share their work and even read out some of your own!
  • Visit the Poetry Library in Edinburgh: Located on Crichton’s Road, the Scottish Poetry Library in Edinburgh is a central hub and national resource hosting a range of poetic works as well as promoting poetry as an art form. Their current opening hours are 10am-3pm Monday to Thursday, and they host a range of poetic works and books from all over the globe, with a specific focus on their Scottish collection. There are many ways to support the Scottish Poetry Library: you can become a donor, friend of the library or register as a borrower, which is free of charge!

Recommendations

You can find a range of poems and poetic works in our LibrarySearch catalogue. We also have an institutional subscription to the Literature Online database, where you can find and access a huge variety of full-text poetry, prose and plays.

Photo credit goes to Ghinzo at Pixabay

By Rachel Downie

Read more on Poetry on our blog with this article on Robert Burns