Poetry is not a luxury. It is a vital necessity of our existence. It forms the quality of light within which we predicate our hopes and dreams toward survival and change, first made into language, then into idea, then into more tangible action.     -- Audre Lorde

Hello there!

It’s my first time participating in this “Poem-a-thon” (such a brilliant idea) and I'm excited to offer my creativity as a way to raise funds for the The Center for New Americans. CNAM helps immigrants access a wide range of support including English lessons, computer classes, finding homes, finding schools, legal assistance, etc. Your donation will enable them continue to do this important work, perhaps more crucial now than ever.

My plan is to write poems daily and share them occasionally with anyone who contributes to the campaign. Many of you know that I’m working on a novel as well, so I’ll be exploring writing poems in the voices of some of my characters, experimenting with prose poems, and maybe adding some watercolor illustrations to my words as well—we’ll see! Send me your email if you'd like to be on the list to receive some of the work I generate over the next month: katherine@katherinejamieson.com. I’d love to share it with you.

All donations, no matter how small, are greatly appreciated. And as Lorde’s quote above so perfectly expresses, may our writing this month bridge the gap between our hopes and dreams and tangible action for a better world.

Thank you in advance for your generosity.

Katherine