Twenty+ years ago, the Comstock Writers Group (publishers of the national poetry journal Comstock Review) determined that it was important to support the poetry arts in children. Thus began Poetpourri, Jr. and many years of collaboration with the Syracuse City School District. We were not prepared for both the excitement of 20,000 children and the lack of enthusiasm on the part of some parents. At the first reception, a mother was heard to say about her little boy, “The other kids already think he’s a fag and NOW he writes poetry.” We were stunned on two counts with that one. In two years’ time, we moved our readings out of Ch. 3 television studios and into a huge auditorium … we were forced to move from K-12 entries to K-6 because of the amazing response from children and teachers … still, we filled that enormous space.
Another problem we had to address was that families up and left after their child read. Thus began my love affair with garage sales. In search of pristine stuffed animals, I learned every hi-way and bi-way in Central New York. Our urban babies often had few extras in their lives and these toys along with a bag full of goodies kept all in their seats. We filled the stage with the animals and brought the kids up in small groups to make a selection AFTER all children had read. It was no longer just the kiddo & Kath on stage looking out on just his parents, g’parents and siblings. The last child to read had the same large audience and APPLAUSE as the first child who read. In a very short amount of time, we truly changed the idea of poetry and those BOYS and girls who love to write it. We changed parents, too … as the bumper stickers proclaiming “MY KID IS A POET”!!! seen on cars all around the city attested. Many of those babies are now college graduates and poets!!!