Catherine Ryan submits ~

Queuing and sharing. Poem in Your Pocket Day fell on April 30. The power of poetry and listening was unforgettable. Try it yourself next year—bring extra Kleenex.

Mayor Romeo-Theken encourages Gloucester students to send their original poem to the Office of the Mayor, 9 Dale Avenue, Gloucester, MA. She promises to read them! Students should include their name, which Gloucester school, their grade and teacher’s name.

Look for Poem in Your Pocket Day each April. It’s free and simple to participate. Carry a Poem. Share a Poem. For more information, search for Poem in Your Pocket Day (PIYP Day) Academy of American Poets (www.poets.org) or New York City’s excellent web site, http://www.NYC.gov/poem. PIYP Day started in NYC in 2002 inspired by theFavorite Poem Project established in 1997 by Robert Pinsky, former Poet Laureate of the United States. East Gloucester Elementary initiated PIYP Day in 2012 because it always celebrates literacy and arts. Students are encouraged to submit poems to the Gloucester Lyceum & Sawyer Free Public Library’s Poetry without Paper contest.

The honorary post for the Gloucester Poet Laureate was created in 1998. There have been four poet laureates: Vincent Ferrini was the City’s first, then John Ronan, Ruthanne Collinson, and the current Poet Laureate, Peter Todd. The Committee for the Arts helps select a new Poet Laureate every four years.

Special thanks to the students; Mayor Romeo-Theken; East Gloucester Elementary school teachers and staff– especially Literacy Coach Melissa Francis; EGS PTO; poet laureate, Peter Todd, and former laureates John Ronan and Rufus Collinson. Student Cal White read Peter Todd’s poem, Friendship, for morning message. Visit Gloucester’s website for more information and to read the poems shared by the poet laureates.