I'm reflecting today on how deeply meaningful it's been amid this crisis to be a part of @Poetsorg and sharing poems with a growing audience seeking comfort and courage. We know that this moment calls on our creativity, generosity of spirit, and willingness to help others.
In the past few weeks the Academy of American Poets helped launch, and we are continuing to work on, Artist Relief. We hope poets with dire financial need will apply to this national emergency fund. artistrelief.org
We're advocating for more emergency funding for poetry and literary organizations nationwide working in partnership with the #PoetryCoaltion and our colleagues @CLMPorg @witshouston @LitNet_org
poets.org/text/nonprofit…
poets.org/text/nonprofit…
When our literary partners launch emergency fundraising campaigns, we're trying to help spread the word. Right now, @lambdaliterary needs support. They are the leading organization ensuring visibility for LGBTQ writers: lambdaliterary.org/donate/
Small Press Distribution @spdbooks, the nation's only exclusively literary nonprofit book distributor, serving nearly 400 small independent publishers, also needs help right now: gofundme.com/f/help-small-p…
We're keeping our own grantmaking, prize programs, and publications like Poem-a-Day going and last month provided $35,000 to poets and poetry organizations. poets.org/poem-a-day
Recognizing that more and more readers are coming to Poets.org seeking solace, we launched #ShelterinPoems so that we could help share poems that people are finding particularly meaningful right now even more widely. poets.org/shelter-poems
I hope you'll join us for Shelter in Poems: a virtual reading on Thursday, April 30 and RSVP for free: eventbrite.com/e/shelter-in-p…
We're also gearing up for the end of #NationalPoetryMonth on April 30, which is also Poem In Your Pocket Day—great for the kiddos. We've added some online/at-home activities for teachers and parents #pocketpoem: poets.org/national-poetr…
Together, in collaboration and partnership, by helping one another, we will persist. And I have no doubt that as we look to what's next, poets will help light the way forward.
