Poets.org - Happy Holidays!

December 15, 2014 Happy Holidays As you begin your holiday celebrations with family and friends this month,  we present our own special season’s greetings with this roundup of poems  to enjoy and share. “Winter is good - his Hoar Delights” (1316) by Emily Dickinson “Winter Field” by Joanna Klink “The Feast of Lights” by Emma Lazarus “Christmas Bells” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow “Winter Twilight” by Anne Porter “Meditations on the Fall and Winter Holidays” by Charles Reznikoff “The Snow Man” by Wallace Stevens “The Coming of Light” by Mark Strand “Winter Trees” by William Carlos Williams “Skating in Harlem, Christmas Day” by Cynthia Zarin SOURCE:  poets.org

A Thanksgiving Poem

T hanksgiving is the time for all
H ere and abroad
A ll over the world
N ear and far
K eeping the gratitude
S hown in all that we do by
G iving and caring
I n different ways that leave
V ery memorable thoughts
I n the kindest of ways
N ot just this time of the year, but always --
G od Bless you!
(c)mnrivera

Yona, Guam

INSPIRATIONAL MESSAGE: Have a Happy Thanksgiving with family and friends!

A Word from Reeve

"Once you choose hope, anything's possible." —Christopher Reeve

Storyboard: A Journal of Pacific Imagery is accepting submissions

A Word from Chanel

"Success is most often achieved by those who don't know that failure is inevitable." —Coco Chanel

American Poet Laureate and Medal of Freedom recipient, Dr. Maya Angelou, passed away yesterday. She was 86. A great voice is silent, but her words will rise. _______________________________________________________________________________________ The White House Office of the Press Secretary For Immediate Release May 28, 2014 Statement by the President on the Passing of Maya Angelou When her friend Nelson Mandela passed away last year, Maya Angelou wrote that “No sun outlasts its sunset, but will rise again, and bring the dawn.” Today, Michelle and I join millions around the world in remembering one of the brightest lights of our time – a brilliant writer, a fierce friend, and a truly phenomenal woman. Over the course of her remarkable life, Maya was many things – an author, poet, civil rights activist, playwright, actress, director, composer, singer and dancer. But above all, she was a storyteller – and her greatest stories were true. A childhood of suffering and abuse actually drove her to stop speaking – but the voice she found helped generations of Americans find their rainbow amidst the clouds, and inspired the rest of us to be our best selves. In fact, she inspired my own mother to name my sister Maya. Like so many others, Michelle and I will always cherish the time we were privileged to spend with Maya. With a kind word and a strong embrace, she had the ability to remind us that we are all God’s children; that we all have something to offer. And while Maya’s day may be done, we take comfort in knowing that her song will continue, “flung up to heaven” – and we celebrate the dawn that Maya Angelou helped bring. http://www.nj.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2014/05/maya_angelou_quotes_poetry.html http://youtu.be/r_muacudzsI

Un Dia Ala Vez En La Vida!

Take it one day at a time
A tidbit at a time
A tad bit at a time
A step at a time
And slowly, but surely
You will be there!
'Tis all it takes -
Un dia ala vez en la vida!
(c)mnrivera

Village:  Yona, Guam

Inspirational message:  Taking it one day a time will get you closer to your goal, so strive for the best, even if you feel like giving up. 

A Special Message from the Academy of American Poets

Dear Friend, Happy National Poetry Month!  We never imagined when we launched NPM 18 years ago that it would become the largest literary celebration in the world! The Academy of American Poets has a great deal planned for this year’s commemoration. As you can see, we’ve introduced our new look, and later this month will launch the new Poets.org. We’ve distributed thousands of free posters to classrooms around the country and produced a new special project for students: Poet-to-Poet. This April, our goal is to remind tens of millions of individuals of the important place poets have in our culture, inspiring many to continue reading poems year-round. But we need your support to make that possible.

As poetry is taught less and less in schools, we need to do more to help passionate teachers bring poetry into their classrooms. Poet-to-Poet is a multimedia educational project that invites students to watch our Chancellors read a poem, and then write one of their own in response. For teachers, we developed a Common Core-aligned lesson plan to accompany the project. We will be working to raise $25,000 this month to support education projects like Poet-to-Poet. Please donate to help us meet our goal. Every dollar counts – Abrams Books has generously agreed to match every dollar we raise, up to $10,000. That means your donation will have twice the impact. We rely on your donations to produce the high quality materials and resources we make available to students and teachers for free on Poets.org. Over the next 30 days, thousands of poets will give public readings, some will be challenging themselves to write a new poem every day, hundreds of publishers will be releasing new collections of poetry, and thousands of librarians and teachers will be organizing Poem in Your Pocket Day events. You can be a part of National Poetry Month, too, with a gift to support our programs. Donate today. With your help, we will nurture a next generation of poetry readers.

Sincerely, Jennifer Benka Executive Director Academy of American Poets

February 2014 - Featured Quote to Live By

"There were so many things they said women couldn't do and blacks couldn't do. Every defeat to me was a challenge."

-Marian Wright Edelman, President and Founder of Children's Defense Fund

January 2014 - Featured Quote to Live By

"Defeat is never fatal. Victory is never final. It's courage that counts."

-Winston Churchill, Politician, Statesman