Thank you for visiting my page. I believe it's the job of the artist to call out injustice and atrocity when she sees it, which, nowadays, is a full time job. Now more than ever we take up the pen and attempt to craft something meaningful and beautiful, anything from a small meditation to a polemic to an anthem to a cry for help. This year's fundraiser is dedicated to the amazing writer/poet Jane Yolen who worked tirelessly on behalf of 30 poems and local writers and brought joy to so many through the written word. For the second year, I will be chairing 30 Poems in November, sending out daily prompts for the participating writers and writing my own poems and songs. In my experience as a lifelong singer-songwriter, I know that nothing changes minds and hearts as surely as a powerful work of art. And works of art are most effective when artists work together, become part of a movement. This fundraiser has become a movement for so many Pioneer Valley writers, and I am proud to be among them.
I love this fundraiser, and every year I am amazed that I am actually able to squeak out a poem a day. Sure, some poems are better than others; I've had my share of nursery rhymes, doggerel and bad haiku. No matter. There's something magical about the directive to write a poem every day, always a surprise for me when I engage with an idea, and a moment that occurs at some point in the writing where I say, "Oh THAT'S what the poem wants to be." There’s a long history of poets who wrote a daily poem--if it's good enough for William Stafford, Lucille Clifton, Robert Bly and Maya Angelou, it's good enough for me.
I am grateful for your support in my efforts. Every penny raised goes to Center for New Americans so they can continue their vital work on behalf of immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers.
