Every day, the world needs to cultivate more kindness and generosity. The singular gift of a poem. The beautiful chance to read together. Inspiring words. Fun celebrations. The sharing of ideas. Listening and learning. You help make that possible for so many people, when you become part of Tweetspeak by gifting our books, taking our workshops, or becoming a dedicated patron.

I wanted Tweetspeak to succeed because I felt there was nothing else like it to be found.

— Richard Maxson

10 Things You Helped Make Possible in 2021!

1. Infographics and Poetry Teaching Resources

From gazelles writing ghazals to phantoms writing pantoums and heroes writing epic poems,  you’ve helped Tweetspeak bring amusing and informative infographics to students, teachers, and writers across the globe. No other major poetry site offers this kind of uniquely witty, colorful, and informative literary fun. Thank you!

Tweetspeak is a force for good for poetry. I so appreciate the support they’ve shown for my work and the work of poets everywhere!

—Karen Paul Holmes, our new Poet Laura!

2. Making Literacy Lovely

Thanks to your help, we’ve been able to bring The Midnight Ball into the world. This early reader explores important themes of empathy for nature, resilience in the face of plans that don’t go the way we’d envisioned, and generosity to others. Plus, it makes clock math a beautiful thing!

3. Weekly Writing Prompts

Every Monday, our lively poetry prompter has brought new poetry writing prompts, where we can inspire each other to grow in the craft and love of poetry.

My partnership comes with gratitude for all that the Tweetspeak community brings to my life: poetry (of course!), lifelong learning, commitment to excellence at every stage of writing and most valuable to me, friendship with extraordinary people, writers in every phase of their journeys.

—Michelle Rinaldi Ortega

4. Emily D. Tea Traveler Was Born!

This year we took a another step in extending our poetic content, by creating the brand new site Emily D. Tea Traveler. The site offers a beautiful setting for the poetry of Emily Dickinson, plus reflections for writers and those who want to live an inspiring life of exploration and discovery (without necessarily traveling far).

One of my life’s greatest blessings has been that, upon entering a tenuous crossroads, Tweetspeak Poetry was right there where I needed it to be. It’s a privilege to support your work here. Tweetspeak is a unique, wonderful, poetic force in the world!

—Donna Falcone

5. 50 States of Generosity Was Born!

To catalyze a more healthy society, we started a new 4-year 50 States of Generosity project that will eventually feature all 50 states in America, showing their unique and wonderful contributions to the whole.

Our focus goes beyond history and reaches into culture, the arts, beauty and generosity. The project is already being accessed by teachers, and we look forward to the fullness of this fabulous resource once it reaches completion!

6. We Developed an Inspiring, Useful Poet-a-Day Resource

During National Poetry Month, we featured more than 30 poets (including new poet laureate of Alabama, Ashley M. Jones!), hearing about how and why they crafted form poems—and why they believe it’s a good practice for other poets, too. Their words are a valuable resource for poets and teachers. Many of the poets also did live readings, which are available in the articles that feature them.

7. We Published How to Write a Form Poem

The world of form poetry is not always easy to enter. Resources tend to be dry and focused simply on structure, without a sense of how to enter into the larger process. We recognized this gap and brought How to Write a Form Poem into being.

[How to Write a Form Poem is] the kind of accessible book with clear explanations, sample poems, exercises, and good humor that will appeal to writers of all sorts. If you want to teach students about poetic forms or learn more yourself, then you need to get this book.

—Katie Mannning, teacher

8. Every Day Poems

You’ve helped us bring readers daily insight and peace. Every Day Poems sends people a hand-selected poem along with beautiful artwork each day. And the monthly themes make this work-intensive publication unique among poetry dailies.

Such a joy and an honor to partner and team up with such a classy community—that has fun and brings beautiful work to light.

—Sandra Heska King

9. Poems to Listen By

Extended to patrons only, our audio series is provided by marvelous poet and performer Laurie Klein. We dreamed up the series with Laurie after hearing her fantastic NPR member station series.

While the Poems to Listen By audio series offers occasional gifts to the public, it is mostly for patrons, as an inspiring “thank you”—for all you do to help keep Tweetspeak strong in the world.

Thank you, all of you, for the vision and hard work that makes Tweetspeak possible. I’m proud of the pieces I’ve been able to contribute and, even more, so delighted to have met some of you and to now call you my friends. Tweetspeak is a community and daily reaffirms the good that happens when people believe enough to make the possible something real.

—Maureen Doallas

10. Public Days for Poetry

In 2021, we continued our Poetry for Life aim to reach the 5 vital arenas in society, with fun public days for poetry. If you found a poem on your pillow or on your mirror, it might have been because of your support of our global poetry reach. Well, and some of us enjoyed a little confection on the public day that featured—yes!—cupcakes.)

You also helped us give people across the world poets on a stick to bring to work—with a free grown-ups’ poets coloring book. Not to mention Poetry at Work Day and Take Your Poet to School Week!

There are, of course, many more ways that Tweetspeak has been here to offer poetry and literacy for life—as a way to bring much-needed kindness, generosity, and lovely living to the world. And you have been part of them.

To those who’ve been partners, we say a warm thank you. It’s such a pleasure to have you at our side.

And for those of you who are newer to our community, we invite you to become a patron today.

You are a group of authentic, delightful artists keeping poetry alive and well using today’s technology to reach out. I want to support that in my small way. One heartfelt drop after another eventually fills the goblet.

— Lexanne Leonard

Photo by Roger Ward, Creative Commons license via Flickr.