Please join the MWPA and Maine Poet Laureate Julia Bouwsma for a celebration of the Write ME project!

With support from the MWPA, the Maine Arts Commission, The Telling Room, and many public libraries and organizations around Maine, and funding from the Academy of American Poets and the Mellon Foundation, Julia Bouwsma created Write ME, a Maine-wide epistolary poetry project that 1) introduced the form through a series of 23 free public workshops across the state during the fall and early winter of 2024 and then 2) paired up hundreds of participating individuals as “poetry pen pals” to communicate with one another during the winter.

This project brought together people in different parts of Maine to exchange letter poems. This project was open to anyone in Maine (or connected to the state) ages 18 and up, with additional youth participation happening through The Telling Room, the Monson Arts High School Program, and assorted Maine high school teachers.

Now we’ll gather together, both virtually and in person, to celebrate the project, hear from people who exchanged poems, and celebrate the power of poetry to connect us all.

A free reception will begin at 6 PM. More event details to be announced.