NEWBURYPORT — The brainchild of former U.S. Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky, the National Favorite Poem Project was launched in 1997 to celebrate the sheer pleasure of poetry with the public at large. This marks the 24th year that Newburyport High School students will curate a favorite poem project in Newburyport.
Everyone is welcome to submit a favorite poem, along with a brief statement explaining how the poem was discovered and why the poem has personal meaning. Organizers are not looking for literary analysis, but rather for an explanation of the connection to the poem. Poems may be old or modern, famous or obscure, but should be written by someone else.
NHS students will review and select 24 poems to be read on Sunday, June 8, at 3 p.m., the Newburyport Senior/Community Center, 331 High St., Newburyport. Each reader will have no more than three minutes to read a poem and share a few words about it.
Along with a copy of the poem, please send some identifying information such as profession and/or age. Past programs have included readers ranging in age from 5 to 103; their chosen poems have spanned centuries and cultures. Readers have included local politicians, shop keepers, retirees, native New Englanders, newcomers, and students, among others.
Send a favorite poem by May 10 to: dszabo@newburyport.k12.ma.us or mail to: Deborah Szabo, Newburyport High School, 241 High St., Newburyport, MA 019150.