Maya Angelou’s poem “Still I Rise”
is Poets.org’s Most Read Poem Last Week
New York, NY (July 22, 2019)— In the past five days, more than 22,000 individuals have read Maya Angelou’s poem, “Still I Rise” on Poets.org, double the number of readers over last year, making it one of the top three poems read on the site this month. Readers flocked to the poem after it was cited by US Rep. Ilhan Omar on her Twitter feed on Wednesday, July 17.
“Angelou’s iconic poem demonstrates the poet’s uncommon ability to offer words that inspire multitudes of readers,” said Jennifer Benka, executive director of the Academy of American Poets. “It’s also evidence of poetry’s unique ability to speak to the moment in memorable and uplifting ways. At a time when public discourse is replete with barbs, poetry reminds us that words matter.”
Poets.org, produced by the Academy of American Poets, a charitable organization based in New York City, launched in 1996 as the very first site to share poems and poets’ biographies. It remains one of the largest poetry archives available. The site features Poem-a-Day, extensive resources for K-12 educators, a calendar of local poetry events, and is the information hub for National Poetry Month in April, an occasion the organization founded.
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