The aim of the day is to get more people to write, read or listen to poetry, but today also sees the launch of a city-wide competition to find the new Poet Laureate .
The current laureate is English teacher Mark Grist, who won the competition last year with a poem about his dream tie.
Today he said the National Poetry Day was important for everyone.
He said: "I think today is the chance for everyone to celebrate poetry, and the English language in general.
"Whether it's the rhymes you learnt at school, or a favourite song lyric, today is the chance to remember them, and celebrate the language."
And as his year as Poet Laureate comes to an end, he said he had enjoyed his time in the position.
He said: "It has been an unbelievable year.
"I have been given the chance to do a lot more work in schools, and do some incredible things – today I am judging a competition with (actor) Patrick Stewart, and I have helped John Clare's youngest descendant write poetry.
"It has been fantastic to be given the chance to do some of these things I would not have had the opportunity to do otherwise."
Entrants for the must be aged 16 and over and live, work (including voluntary work) or study in Peterborough. People are asked to submit no more than 30 lines of original poetry around the theme of Remembrance.
Poems and completed entry forms should be sent to Gill Benedikz at Peterborough Central Library, Broadway, Peterborough, PE1 1RX. You can also e-mail
gill.benedikz@peterborough.gov.uk by 12 noon on Monday, November 17.
Email your poems for the ET's Poets' Corner to eteditor @peterboroughtoday.co.ukThe full article contains 382 words and appears in Peterborough ET newspaper.
