People have all kinds of ideas and things to say about what poetry does and does not do. I hear people often quoting William Carlos Williams saying:

“It is difficult
to get the news from poems
yet men die miserably every day
for lack
of what is found there.”

I tend to disagree with the suggestion that you cannot get the news from poems, but I think that is conversation for another day.

Today I had the opportunity to use poetry in a manner that will empower people to do something for themselves and others. As part of Activate! IFC’s advocacy program I conducted a poetry workshop on writing poems of Self-Definition and Self-Determination. Activate! IFC serves populations experiencing homelessness, voter disenfranchisement and a range of equity centered issues. You can learn more about them here .

I had the privilege to listen to people telling their own stories and writing new ones that would be mantras for them to use as encouragement for themselves in dark times. I saw them offer encouragement to one another to share their stories and to advocate for themselves in their own words.

I had them writing short poems using the prompts “I am…” and “where I’m from…” that I got from Willie Perdomo. I was always so moved by Willie Perdomo‘s poems from Where a Nickel Costs a Dime because I the speakers in his poems sounded like people I knew.

I know that poems may not necessarily put a roof over some the workshop participants heads, but a poem could be the thing that moves them to advocate for themselves for more affordable housing or a livable wage, so I am thankful for that. If poetry can do that everyday I think poetry does a lot.