Submissions being accepted for Favorite Poem Project

NEWBURYPORT — The 13th annual Favorite Poem Project, by Newburyport High School’s creative writing class, is underway.

The brainchild of former U.S. Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky, The National Favorite Poem Project was launched in 1997 to celebrate the sheer pleasure of poetry with the public at large. Pinsky put out a call for favorite poems and received 18,000 responses from Americans of diverse regions, ages and backgrounds. For the past 12 years, the creative writing class at Newburyport High School has produced the Favorite Poem Project of Greater Newburyport.

Students are currently seeking submissions for this year’s program. The class hopes to receive poems from a broad spectrum of people, young and old, prominent and barely known. A representative sample of poems will be chosen for a public reading on Sunday, April 26, at 3 p.m. at The Firehouse Center for the Arts. 

Poems may be old or modern, famous or obscure, English or another language with a translation. Along with the poem, the students request the reader include a brief statement of why this poem has personal meaning. 

Students will read and consider all entries, so the more entries received, the more poetry students will read.

To submit a poem for consideration, send it to Deb Szabo at Newburyport High School, 241 High St., Newburyport, MA 01950 or email to dszabo@newburyport.k12.ma.us by April 10. Include a copy of the poem, a brief paragraph explaining why it is a favorite, name, email address, phone number, and a piece of identifying information, such as profession and/or age, to ensure a varied group of readers and poems at the performance.