CALL FOR PARTICIPATION: PANDEMIC PENPAL POETS PROJECT

The League of Minnesota Poets is asking for your participation in a project to reach out to our neighbors in congregate housing who not only have little (if any) opportunity to get outside, but are not able to welcome visitors during this time of COVID 19 isolation. We will be collecting poems, along with any messages, simple writing prompts, or artwork you care to add, to distribute to residents in local facilities. This is a wholly volunteer effort that will continue for as long as the lock-down continues. If interested, follow these directions:

1. Pick a poem. It can be one you have written or one you love, written by someone else. The poem should not be too long, under 24 lines is recommended, and 32 lines is the maximum. The message should be one of hope, cheer, friendship, encouragement, or innocent fun, and appropriate for the casual reader.

2. Type it into a readable font. As many of the poems will be delivered to elders (and some children), a slightly larger font is a good idea (eg Times New Roman 14).

3. Optional: Add a message, like “Hello friend…” Feel free to say a little something about yourself, the poet, or the poem. Or maybe include a favorite quotation.

4. Optional: include artwork, drawings, photos, designs, color, whatever you like (and isn’t copyright protected).

5. Optional: If you have an idea for a creative exercise, such as a very short prompt or literary/art “game,” add that at the end.

6. Include your name or not, as you choose. But please don’t include contact information with the text of the poem.

7. Multiple poems and messages are welcome! Just please begin each on a new sheet.

8. Send your document/s as an attachment in Word or as a pdf to PenPalPoets@gmail.com . In the body of the email message, please note if anything you are sending is intended for a particular audience. The particular audience might be, for example, any of the following:

Elderly

Children

Teens/Youth

Disabled

Homeless

In recovery

Hospice

Injured or Sick

9. One more thing: if you write or read in a language other than English, and have anything to share in that other language, please do! Spanish, Russian, Swedish, German, and more would be welcome.