Celebrating Hope in Newtown #NWP

For the last few months, my colleague and Fairfield residential poet, Carol Ann Davies, has been leading a poetry workshop with teacher Lea Attanasio for 4th, 5th and 6th graders and their families in Newtown Public Schools. The students and their parents have been writing and reading poetry and, soon, the finished product will be published for others to read. I know, personally, that many of the poems are wonderful as Carol Ann sent me a few to cheer me up over the weekend.

The work has been sponsored by an enhancement grant through the Connecticut Writing Project at Fairfield, offering funds to initiate writing projects that make a difference in the lives of youth. This work, of course, was made possible because of the National Writing Project network.  In addition to Carol's poetic expertise, Dr. Elizabeth Bouquet also joined on behalf of the university for the community outreach. She, like Carol Ann, loves to make the world a better place..

I was invited by the young writers to say a few words about the Connecticut Writing Project and to provide each of them with a gift of Hope For the Flowers through the special collaboration made possible by Trina Paulus. I explained that the goal has been to provide butterfly releases like this all over the nation in respect of creativity, dreams, and ambitions. There's always the power of hope - and that is what I announce wherever I go.

And so my heart pulsed a little stronger last night while hearing kids take to the mic to share their words. I sat back and experienced the magic of the young poets and, once again, restored faith in what is possible if you do the right thing.