South Pasadena Public Library: Contribute To A Crowdsourced Community Poem

Press release from the South Pasadena Public Library:

03/01/2021

A Beginning Is… a Crowdsourced Community Poem

Contact: Maida Wong, Public Services Manager
mwong@southpasadenaca.gov | 626-403-7355

April is National Poetry Month, and in celebration, the South Pasadena Public Library invites residents of all ages to contribute to a crowdsourced poem to be written by City of South Pasadena Poet Laureate Ron Koertge.  The idea for a South Pasadena community poem was Koertge’s, and he was inspired by young poet Amanda Gorman’s “The Hill We Climb”, which was read to great acclaim at President Biden’s inauguration, and by National Public Radio’s Poet-in-Residence Kwame Alexander, who recently called for contributions to a crowdsourced poem, which resulted in 2,500 contributions and his poem “This is Our Dream”.

Poetry has the power to inspire and delight, and Koertge seeks to craft a poem with the help of his fellow South Pasadenans that can be enjoyed by all.  The theme for the poem is “Beginnings” and contributors are asked to mine their thoughts and memories and submit one or two lines or a phrase.  Koertge says, “beginnings mean different things to different people. Planting a garden is for sure a new beginning.  So is adopting a dog or cat.  Quitting one job and getting another.  A father makes a different sandwich for his kids’ lunch.  Someone says she’s sorry and wants to start over. What does beginning mean to you?  Send me some ideas, please, and let’s see if I can turn them into a poem.  If you need a prompt, start like this: “A beginning is…”.  Pretend we’re sitting around a fire and we’re writing a story together.  Not my story, but ours.”

People of all ages, from children to seniors, are encouraged to contribute.  The crowdsourced community poem will be published on the Library’s website during National Poetry Month in April.  Contributions are due by Friday, March 19 and can be emailed to library@southpasadenaca.gov, or mailed to the Library with the word “Beginnings” written on the envelope, or dropped off at the Library Takeout door during Takeout hours. Contributors will be recognized by name unless anonymity is requested.

Ron Koertge is a nationally-honored poet and novelist and a two-time winner of the PEN Literary Award for Children’s Literature. He is the author of 10 acclaimed poetry collections including Yellow Moving Van and Olympusville and 12 novels. His prose poem “Negative Space” was the basis of the 2018 Academy Award-nominated animated short film directed by Ru Kuwahata and Max Porter. Koertge has also shared his wisdom with students over many decades as a distinguished college writing instructor.

The South Pasadena Public Library is located at 1100 Oxley Street in South Pasadena. Although the library building is currently closed to the public for the health and safety of our community, we are offering Library Takeout, a no-contact check-out and pick-up service. Takeout hours are Monday-Thursday, 1:00-7:00 p.m.; Friday-Saturday, 1:00-5:00 p.m.; Sunday, closed. For more information visit www.southpasadenaca.gov/library.

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This press release was produced by the South Pasadena Public Library. The views expressed here are the author’s own.