Some of my poems will be short, but many will be longer. I sincerely hope that you don't find any too long to read. While several were inspired by various encounters with nature and people, most of those will also connect more broadly to current societal and political issues. You will note that I am greatly influenced by the natural world--that is the spark for much of my work. I hope that each of you will stay involved by reading day to day throughout the month of November and that you will encounter at least a few poems that especially speak to you.

This campaign matters to me for the obvious reason of the importance of education in our society and the need to redress the general lack of access to it for immigrants and refugees, but it is also important to me for another reason. Abigail Warren, a poet I met about a decade ago at the annual Palm Beach Poetry Festival, a poet and writer and educator who lives in western Massachusetts, participated in this campaign a few years ago and I supported her at that time. One of her poems from a 30 Poems in November anthology is included in her most recent poetry collection, "Inexact Grace," a book for which I had the pleasure to write a blurb. I have been inspired by her involvement with the Center for New Americans, and though it's taken me several years to follow her lead, I'm glad that I am doing it now.