In 1997, Robert Pinsky, the 39th Poet Laureate of the United States, founded the Favorite Poem Project shortly after the Library of Congress appointed him to the post. Since its launch, the Favorite Poem Project has been dedicated to celebrating, documenting and promoting poetry's role in Americans' lives through collecting and sharing the favorite poems of Americans of all walks of life. During the one-year open call for submissions, 18,000 Americans wrote to the project volunteering to share their favorite poems — Americans from ages 5 to 97, from every state, of diverse occupations, kinds of education and backgrounds. From those thousands of letters and emails, Pinsky and his people have put together several enduring collections of poetry, including several books, DVD collections and an on line archive (www.favoritepoem.org) of the poems that mean the most to people across the country.                                                                    

This past April, in recognition of National Poetry Month, the Hastings High School Poetry Club collected “favorite poems” from Hastings students, teachers, administrators, and other members of our school community. In this on-line anthology, people share their favorite poems and offer some insight into why they find these poems so meaningful.  We have been thrilled by the diversity of the poems that were submitted, and impressed by the thoughtful remarks the contributors have offered in explaining the poems they have chosen. 

We hope you’ll find familiar favorites, and discover new ones as well, as you explore this anthology.

Enjoy!!

The Hastings High School Poetry Club