In partnership with the Hudson Valley Writers Guild, the POW! Poems on Wheels project is bringing poetry to homebound seniors throughout the Capital Region. Participating Offices of the Aging in Albany, Rensselaer, Saratoga, and Schenectady counties will receive printed poem cards to be distributed to 2,000 recipients of Meals on Wheels and other food delivery programs.
The brainchild of local poets Rhonda Rosenheck and Rachel R. Baum, Capital Region POW! Poems on Wheels is based on the belief that poetry can connect people to, and through, our shared humanity. Poems offer a peek into the poet’s mind and hold up a mirror for readers to explore their own ideas, memories and emotions.
The Poems on Wheels program originated with the Poetry Society of America, which distributed poem cards to seniors in large cities such as Chicago and Los Angeles. It recognizes that elderly or otherwise homebound people not only face issues around food insecurity and social isolation, but also cultural, intellectual and emotional isolation.
The Capital Region POW! program begins with a card printed with the poem Moods by Sara Teasdale, a work that is in the public domain, so that copyright is not an issue. The cards are being placed in food bags, trays and packages, reaching the homebound in time for the holiday season. Future poem cards are dependent on additional funding.
The Hudson Valley Writers Guild supports POW! Poetry on Wheels and the region’s entire literary community. Read more poetry and prose, and find events to attend (in person and remote), at www.hvwg.org.
For more information about Poems on Wheels, email whitewater56@live.com.
