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March 9, 2017

Poetry Organizations from Across the U.S. Join Together To Offer March 2017 Programs on Migration

Twenty-two nonprofit poetry organizations from across the United States have formed a Poetry Coalition.

Throughout the month of March, the Poetry Coalition presents programs on the theme “Because We Come From Everything: Poetry & Migration.” The theme borrows a line from U.S. Poet Laureate Juan Felipe Herrera’s poem, “Borderbus.”

Now, more than ever, these organizations believe that poetry has a positive role to play in our country. It is through reading, writing, and discussing poems that we learn about one another on our most human level, inspiring empathy, compassion, and greater understanding of one another. Poetry Coalition members believe that by collaborating on programs, they will spotlight the art form’s unique ability to spark dialogues, create opportunities to engage in meaningful conversation, discover unexpected connections with each other, and inspire new readers.

You can learn more about the Poetry Coalition and its March programs by visiting www.poets.org/academy-american-poets/poetry-coalition. Or, by following the hashtags #PoetryCoalition and #WeComeFromEverything throughout the month.


Poetry Coalition members invite all interested poetry organizations and groups to produce their own programs on the topic of migration during March 2017. To be in touch or join an email distribution list about future events and initiatives, email academy@poets.org.

Poetry Coalition Members (as of 2/28/2017):

Academy of American Poets, New York, NY
Alliance for Young Artists & Writers/National Student Poets Program, New York, NY
Asian American Writers’ Workshop, New York, NY

Beyond Baroque, Los Angeles, CA
CantoMundo, New York, NY
Cave Canem Foundation, New York, NY
Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festival, Newark, NJ
Kundiman, New York, NY
Lambda Literary, Los Angeles, CA
Letras Latinas at Notre Dame’s Institute for Latino Studies, Notre Dame, IN
Mass Poetry, Salem, MA
O, Miami, Miami, FL
Poetry Center and American Poetry Archives at SFSU, San Francisco, CA
Poetry Foundation, Chicago, IL
The Poetry Project, New York, NY
Poetry Society of America, New York, NY
Poets House, New York, NY
Split This Rock, Washington, D.C.
University of Arizona Poetry Center, Tucson, AZ
Urban Word//National Youth Poet Laureate Program, Los Angeles, CA
Wick Poetry Center at Kent State University, Kent, OH
Woodland Pattern, Milwaukee, WI 

About the Poetry Coalition

With support from Lannan Foundation, poetry organizations met in November 2015 in Santa Fe, New Mexico, to begin discussing how they might join forces to enhance the visibility of the art form and its impact on people’s everyday lives. Contrary to the public perception that interest in poetry is waning, over the past few years, these organizations have witnessed increases in the number of students participating in poetry recitation and spoken word events, visitors to poetry websites, individuals attending poetry readings, and young poets taking to social media to share their work. From this meeting, the Poetry Coalition has emerged. It is dedicated to working together to promote the value poets bring to our culture and communities, and the important contribution poetry makes in the lives of people of all ages and backgrounds.

 

Contact: Jennifer Benka

Academy of American Poets

jenbenka@poets.org

Poetry