Lift Kind words, warm heart
How many times have your spirits been lifted by an encouraging word? Saying nice things to one another, sharing a positive personal story or simply offering up an inspiring quote from a famous person such as the Dalai Lama(“My religion is kindness,” he said) can have a spiraling effect on usmentally as well as spiritually.
And if it could be a statewide effort facilitated by social media? Just the imagine how much better we all could feel.
That’s the idea behind the Pennsylvania Humanities Council’s PA Kindness Poem project.
Launched last month, the yearlong initiative invites residents across Pennsylvania to share messages on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram that promote “generosity, healing, reconciliation and peace.” Those messages will then be shared with Philadelphia poet laureate Trapeta Mayson, who will use the words to create an original poem that will be introduced on National Kindness Day, Nov. 13.
Active since the 1970s, PA Humanities Council has two goals: to advance our knowledge and understanding of the humanities (disciplines that study human culture or examine the human condition) and increase public awareness of, access to and support for them.
“And we take the human part of ‘humanities’ very seriously,” says senior director of content and engagement Dawn Frisby Byers, explaining that the study of all languages and literature, the arts, history and philosophy is included in the definition of humanities.
She describes the project as a mission to help spread kindness throughout the state. Ms. Mayson, who was named poet laureate in December2019, brings it star power.
The Liberia native, who grew up in the Philly area, has long been known on the local arts scene and in literary circles for commitment to community and civil engagement. A social worker by day, her work often sheds light on and honors the immigrant experience. Or, as she puts it, “the stories and struggles and celebrations of ordinary people that aren’t always lauded and applauded.”
“I try to make poetry accessible to all people in our society,” she says, even those who don’t like poetry or feel their lives are particularly poetic.
As such, in her role as the city’s poetry ambassador through 2021, she’ll create poetry readings and writing workshops in places that are not typically associated with literary arts. She says, “I want them to understand their contribution has value, and we have a voice in this thing called poetry.”
Ms. Byers first became familiar with Ms. Mayson’s work last fall through some webinars she did on Zoom. She was amazed by the way she could create poems out of thin air “with just a couple of words.”
Ms. Mayson further impressed with her launch of the Healing Verse Philly Poetry Line (1-855-7636792). The toll-free telephone line offers callers a weekly 90-second poem by 50 different Philadelphiaconnected poets.