Spring is in full swing, the garden is bursting, the world is burning and breaking, and I’m chugging along, working harder than ever to finish out the school year teaching poetry and planting trees. I don’t feel like I have time for an update and I think that’s the update. The rush is real and I’m just keeping my head above water.
Of course, because life is a multifaceted experience, there are still many things to celebrate as I gasp for air and tend to my aching back. My students amaze me with their expressions of earth and visions of future possibility. They read and recite with such passion and curiosity. I joined my Thriving Together crew to read at Next Chapter Books and there’s nothing quite like listening to one another as we belt out our deepest longings. They are so brave and bold. It’s such a gift to work with them.
I brought my typewriter to my classrooms last week and told my students about Poem Store. The 5th and 7th graders were fully entranced and their pure excitement filled my cup. We discussed spontaneous creativity, the mystery of the flow, and the way it felt to write poems for strangers for all those years. As always, the old machine won them over. When they gather around me listening and watching in awe, I feel like something is right in the world.
I’m wrapping up the first year beta test of the Poem Forest project with Turnaround Arts, nurturing this nation-wide experiment with The Kennedy Center and enjoying the strange process of figuring out the best ways to spread ecological education. I’m pushing up against my growth edge, exploring the non-profit world, trying my best to share my discoveries and build poetic curriculum. The task feels extensive but appropriate. All I can do is repeat the sacred phrase I’m in it for the long haul.
I’m on my way to New York next week to perform at All Blues Musiquarium before heading upstate where I’ll be teaching at Omega Institute for the weekend. I haven’t been to the city for a while and I’m really looking forward to seeing old friends, reading poems and spinning records. If you’re in NYC please join us! May 22nd 8-10pm at 87 Walker St. It’ll be a magical night.
That’s where I’m at today. I’m looking forward to summer. We’re finally moving into our house soon and then I’m planning to a major down-shift. Until then, the power of poetry propels me onward! Thank you for joining me on the ride. I appreciate you and your great support. I’ll leave you with this Ross Gay poem that I used in class this week. I love it so much. May we all remember.
Infinite thanks,
Jacqueline