John Waldman Writing Project

New Yorkers are celebrating poetry in a big way –
For today, April 17th, is Poem In Your Pocket Day!

For the next twenty-four hours, all New Yorkers are encouraged to put poems in their pockets – and post their original poems to the NYPL blog. There are events happening all day, and even the mayor's participating (no kidding!):

PRESS CONFERENCE
by Michael Bloomberg

Pardon me, sir, I’ve a question or two …
     You.
Sir, you said poetry is a delight…
     Right.
Reading it makes you smarter, more mature?
     Sure.
But is it better for people not to read verse?
     Worse.
Do you read sonnets? Limericks? Odes?
     Loads.
All these short answers. Why?
     I -
Follow-up! What do you in your free time?
     Rhyme.
Could poems appeal to the Press?
     Yes.
But can they help with traffic congestion?
     Next question.

As we mentioned yesterday, New Yorkers have been taking the first lines of famous poems and making them their own. Keep checking back throughout the day, in that thread or the comments below, to read the original poems of the latest and greatest Whitmans, Dickinsons and Poes (who, of course, moonlight at your local dry cleaners, law firm and…well…publishing house).

Remember, you can still participate!
Just take a famous first line below
Mold it, weave it and rework it to create,
A poem of magnificent proportions
Which you’ll soon have the world to show!

Post your poem here, print out a copy and put it in your pocket to celebrate April 17th – Poem In Your Pocket Day, 2008.

Write a poem right away –
Thursday’s Poem In Your Pocket Day!

It’s an easy project all you writing friends,
So let us begin in order to reach the end…

Thursday, April 17, 2008 will be the sixth annual Poem In Your Pocket day in New York City, and this year, the Mayor's Office is working with the Poetry Society of America to bring the John Waldman Writing Project to New York City. We've offered up the NYPL blog as a space for everyone to participate, so if you want to write your own poem, simply follow these instructions:

1. Browse through these first lines of – public domain (trust us, we’ve checked) – already published poems.
2. When you have found one that you connect with, continue writing it as though it were your own first line.
3. Once you have finished your poem, post it in the comments below.
4. Be sure to check back on April 17 to see what other New Yorkers have written – as well as the original poems.
5. And don’t forget to print out a copy of your poem, fold it up, and tuck it in to your pockets, so you can be ready for April 17th

First lines below the fold...