Recently, Harvard Business Review discussed the value of poetry for professionals. Among other benefits, it can help employees wrestle with complexity, develop empathy, and boost creativity. At Tweetspeak Poetry, we’re doing something to help bring poetry to work. One of the simplest ways to begin is with Poetry at Work Day.
Poetry at Work Day is coming again this January 14, 2014. Our first annual celebration went across the world and received press from Huffington Post, Publishers Weekly, and Book Patrol. This year, it is currently featured at Poets.org.
We’re looking for businesses to take the lead in “bringing poetry to work, ” which means we’ll also spend some time highlighting them. We’d like to see these businesses create larger visuals/experiences we could point to, so other businesses can follow suit in the future. It could be as big as a business feels inclined to make it—the way a law firm and a construction company in Charlotte has helped sponsor putting poetry on city buildings.
Of course, we promote simple ideas as well: employees reading poetry over a lunch break, people writing simple poetry to share with the whole office on a poetry wall or other communal space or maybe on Twitter, or just finding pre-existing poetry at work (in the way words are strung together in unexpected places).
If your business sponsors a Poetry at Work Day experience for employees and clients, we’d love to consider highlighting it. Tweet us at @tspoetry to share how you celebrate.
Or, if you are an employee who takes the day into his or her own hands, we’d also love to hear from you. Tweet to us @tspoetry and show us how you celebrate!
Other resources:
Poetry at Work Day Resource Table Ideas
Poetry at Work Day Survival Kit
Poetry at Work Day free printable posters and computer wallpapers
Poetry at Work Day Infographic
Poetry at Work (the book; from fortune 500 leader Glynn Young, with foreword by Global Marketing Director at Cleantech Ernst & Young, Scott Edward Anderson)
Photo by Claire Burge. Used with permission.
