A 2026 jazz poetry calendar

December 31st, 2025

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Linnaea Mallette/publicdomainpictures.net

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Dear Readers:

…..Welcome to 2026!

…..Last year the poet Jerrice J. Baptiste brought in the new year with a 12-month calendar in which she wrote a jazz-themed poem dedicated to every month of the year, providing readers an extensive glimpse at her gifts, and allowing me an opportunity to interpret the poems with images and music.

…..This year, I invited 12 individual poets who regularly contribute their poetry to Jerry Jazz Musician – including Jerrice – to write a jazz-themed poem dedicated to a particular month.

…..The result is the following 2026 calendar of jazz poetry that winds through the year with a variety of poetic styles and voices who share their journeys with the music, tying it into the month they were tasked to interpret. Along the way you will encounter the likes of Sonny Stitt, Charles Mingus, Jaco Pastorius, Wynton Kelly, John Coltrane, and Nina Simone.

….I sincerely hope you enjoy this unique view of the upcoming year!

With appreciation to the poets who participated, and to the readers…

Joe Maita

Editor/Publisher

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Readers can click to the next month at the conclusion of each poem.  You can also go to each month by clicking on the months here:

Jan/Feb/Mar/Apr/May/Jun/Jul/Aug/Sep/Oct/Nov/Dec/Intro

 

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Click here to read Connie Johnson’s poem for January

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