Every day, the world needs to more deeply cultivate kindness, friendship, and simply rich living. The singular gift of a poem. The beautiful chance to read together. Inspiring words. Fun celebrations. The sharing of ideas. Listening and learning. You help make that possible for so many people, when you become part of Tweetspeak by gifting our books, taking our workshops, or becoming a dedicated patron.
I wanted Tweetspeak to succeed because I felt there was nothing else like it to be found.
— Richard Maxson
10 Things You Helped Make Possible in 2019!
1. Infographics and Poetry Teaching Resources
From gazelles writing ghazals to phantoms writing pantoums and heroes writing epic poems, you’ve helped Tweetspeak bring amusing and informative infographics—to more than a million students, teachers, and writers across the globe. No other major poetry site offers this kind of uniquely witty, colorful, and informative literary fun. Thank you!
Tweetspeak is a force for good for poetry. I so appreciate the support they’ve shown for my work and the work of poets everywhere!
2. Artful Literacy in Translation
Thanks, in part, to your help, we’ve been able to translate The Golden Dress into Spanish and French (watch for the translated releases in 2020!). This fairy tale, which explores the important themes of overuse versus living with life-affirming limits, ingratitude versus gratitude, selfishness versus grace, can now make its way to more of the world.
3. Weekly Writing Prompts
Every Monday, our lively poetry prompter has brought new poetry writing prompts, where we can inspire each other to grow in the craft and love of poetry.
My partnership comes with gratitude for all that the Tweetspeak community brings to my life: poetry (of course!), lifelong learning, commitment to excellence at every stage of writing and most valuable to me, friendship with extraordinary people, writers in every phase of their journeys.
—Michelle Rinaldi Ortega
4. Poetic Earth Month Was Born!
This year we took a huge step in extending our poetic content, by creating the brand new site Poetic Earth Month. The site offers a chance to enter into the climate- and earth-care conversation in a poetic, artful way. Our motto there is “celebrate in April, get simple ideas all year long.”
As part of the April celebration, we offered a 30 Days, 30 Poems Challenge that we also turned into a book. And we were privileged to be able to reprint, at Poetic Earth Month, the opening chapter of an important, fascinating book by a leading climate psychologist.
One of my life’s greatest blessings has been that, upon entering a tenuous crossroads, Tweetspeak Poetry was right there where I needed it to be. It’s a privilege to support your work here. Tweetspeak is a unique, wonderful, poetic force in the world!
—Donna Falcone
5. Moms on Poetry Was Born!
To support mothers in their critical societal role (and to keep their souls encouraged), we also started a new site called Moms on Poetry. As the tagline there notes, concerning the question “why poetry”: because poems are simple, even when life isn’t—plus, they don’t care what’s for dinner.
The site inspired one of our workshop teachers so much that she’ll be offering a Moms on Poetry writing and reading workshop in the spring of 2020.
6. We Attended the Drawdown Learn Conference
As part of our work with the new Poetic Earth Month site, several of our team attended the DrawDown Learn conference (now available on demand through 2020). We gave away 23 copies of our new book Earth to Poetry, to educators and climate conversation leaders—including a copy to Katharine Wilkinson, the senior writer for the bestselling Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming.
In my work with climate, poetry is keeping me sane.”
—Katharine Wilkinson, senior writer of Drawdown, in a conversation with L.L. Barkat
7. We Published a Novel That’s Truly for Our Time
Every year, we seek to bring beautiful work to light. This year we were especially privileged to publish Adjustments, by Will Willingham, which is a beautiful novel for our time. At 530 pages, it was a big project to take on in the midst of everything else we do at Tweetspeak. But it was also a very important book to bring into the world. The deep themes of identity, courage, friendship, and hope are sorely needed in story form, in a society which is too often presented stories of despair with no road map for doable ways to survive and thrive.
Adjustments is more than a good novel; it is a fine novel. It is, simultaneously, moving and real and surprising and true. We see ourselves and our personal histories and, like Will Phillips, we bear scars. This is a story about what matters, and it’s told beautifully well.”
—Glynn Young
8. Every Day Poems
You’ve helped us bring readers daily insight and peace. Every Day Poems sends people a hand-selected poem along with beautiful artwork each day. And the monthly themes make this work-intensive publication unique among poetry dailies.
Such a joy and an honor to partner and team up with such a classy community–that has fun and brings beautiful work to light.
—Sandra Heska King
9. Poems to Listen By
Extended to patrons only, a new audio series is on the way, presented by marvelous poet and performer Laurie Klein. We dreamed up the series with Laurie after hearing her fantastic NPR member station series this summer.
While the Poems to Listen By audio series will offer occasional gifts to the public, it will mostly be just for patrons, as an inspiring “thank you”—for all you do to help keep Tweetspeak strong in the world.
Thank you, all of you, for the vision and hard work that makes Tweetspeak possible. I’m proud of the pieces I’ve been able to contribute and, even more, so delighted to have met some of you and to now call you my friends. Tweetspeak is a community and daily reaffirms the good that happens when people believe enough to make the possible something real.
—Maureen Doallas
10. Public Days for Poetry
In 2019, we continued our Poetry for Life aim to reach the 5 vital arenas in society, with fun public days for poetry. If you found a poem on your pillow or on your mirror, it might have been because of your support of our global poetry reach. Well, and some of us enjoyed a little confection on the public day that featured—yes!—cupcakes.)
You also helped us give people across the world poets on a stick to bring to work—with a free grown-ups’ poets coloring book. Not to mention Poetry at Work Day and Take Your Poet to School Week!
There are, of course, many more ways that Tweetspeak has been here to offer poetry and literacy for life—as a way to bring much-needed kindness, friendship, and simple living to the world. And you have been part of them.
To those who’ve been partners, we say a warm thank you. It’s such a pleasure to have you at our side.
And for those of you who are newer to our community, we invite you to become a patron today.
You are a group of authentic, delightful artists keeping poetry alive and well using today’s technology to reach out. I want to support that in my small way. One heartfelt drop after another eventually fills the goblet.
— Lexanne Leonard
Photo by PS Lee, Creative Commons license via Flickr.
- The Poetry Club Tea Date ✨ Braiding His Hair - October 22, 2020
- 5-Minute Refresh: Proof of Thought - October 15, 2020
- The Poetry Club Tea Date ✨ Baby by Madison Julius Cawein - October 8, 2020
Will Willingham says
I marvel, every year, at these wrap-ups, being reminded of the goodness that the Tweetspeak community has helped usher into the world (knowing you’re able only to scratch the surface). I’m grateful to you, Laura, for your leadership. To the team for your tireless work and inspiration. To our patrons and partners for keeping us on the seas. And to all who come and read, and comment, and live with us in the world.
Megan Willome says
And Charity’s book! “The Art of the Essay” was such a loving look at the form.