<div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:small"><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:15.6933px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:14pt;line-height:19.9733px">Today ends National Poetry Month and the end of the “Spring into Reading Haiku Writing Challenge”.  LBPH thanks those who contributed.  Poetry doesn’t have to end here.  Today also celebrates “Poem in Your Pocket Day”.  </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:15.6933px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><b><span style="font-size:14pt;line-height:19.9733px">Poem in Your Pocket Day</span></b><span style="font-size:14pt;line-height:19.9733px"> was initiated in April 2002 by the Office of the Mayor in New York City, in partnership with the city's Departments of Cultural Affairs and Education. In 2008, the Academy of American Poets took the initiative to all fifty United States, encouraging individuals around the country to participate. In 2016, the League of Canadian Poets extended Poem in Your Pocket Day to Canada.<br><br>Poem in Your Pocket Day takes place every year on a day in <a href="https://www.poets.org/national-poetry-month/about-celebration" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(5,99,193)">National Poetry Month</a>. <b>The 2020 Poem in Your Pocket Day will take place on Thursday, April 30. </b>This year we encourage you to celebrate digitally. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:15.6933px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:14pt;line-height:19.9733px"> <b>Ways to Participate</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:15.6933px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:14pt;line-height:19.9733px">It's easy to participate in Poem in Your Pocket Day from a safe distance. Here are some ideas of how you might get involved:</span></p><ul type="disc" style="margin-top:0in;margin-bottom:0in"><li class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:15.6933px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:14pt;line-height:19.9733px">Select a poem and share it on social media using the hashtag #pocketpoem. </span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:15.6933px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:14pt;line-height:19.9733px">Simultaneously participate in the <a href="https://poets.org/shelter-poems" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(5,99,193)">Shelter in Poems</a> initiative, and select a poem that brings you solace during this time of distance and solitude. Share what it means to you and use the hashtags #pocketpoem and #ShelterInPoems.</span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:15.6933px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:14pt;line-height:19.9733px">Print a poem from the <a href="https://api.poets.org/sites/default/files/resources/PoemInYourPocketDay2020.pdf" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(5,99,193)">Poem in Your Pocket Day PDF</a> and draw an image from the poem in the white space, or use the instructions on pages 59-60 of the PDF to make an origami swan. </span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:15.6933px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:14pt;line-height:19.9733px">Record a video of yourself reading a poem, then share it on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, or another social media platform you use. </span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:15.6933px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:14pt;line-height:19.9733px">Email a poem to your friends, family, neighbors, or local government leaders.</span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:15.6933px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:14pt;line-height:19.9733px">Schedule a video chat and read a poem to your loved ones.</span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:15.6933px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:14pt;line-height:19.9733px">Add a poem to your email footer.</span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:15.6933px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:14pt;line-height:19.9733px">Read a poem out loud from your porch, window, backyard or outdoor space. </span></li></ul><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:15.6933px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:14pt;line-height:19.9733px">Discover more ways to celebrate National Poetry Month <a href="https://poets.org/national-poetry-month/30-ways-celebrate-national-poetry-month-classroom" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(5,99,193)">in the virtual classroom</a>, or at <a href="https://poets.org/national-poetry-month/30-ways-celebrate-national-poetry-month-home-or-online" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(5,99,193)">home or online</a>!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:15.6933px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:14pt;line-height:19.9733px"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:15.6933px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:14pt;line-height:19.9733px">Lastly to lift your spirits on this rainy day, check out America's inaugural <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/empire-state-building-poem-amanda-gorman-the-republic-rising/" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(5,99,193)">Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman</a> offering some inspiration during the coronavirus pandemic. In a performance for "CBS This Morning" at the Los Angeles Central Public Library, she used her voice to give comfort and courage to the nation.  <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/amanda-gorman-youth-poet-laureate-coronavirus-pandemic/" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(5,99,193)"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(17,85,204);background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial">https://www.cbsnews.com/news/amanda-gorman-youth-poet-laureate-coronavirus-pandemic/</span></a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:15.6933px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><i><span style="font-size:14pt;line-height:19.9733px"> </span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:15.6933px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><i><span style="font-size:14pt;line-height:19.9733px">Read her poem below. </span></i><span style="font-size:14pt;line-height:19.9733px"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:15.6933px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:14pt;line-height:19.9733px">I thought I'd awaken to a world in mourning.<br>Heavy clouds crowding, a society storming.<br>But there's something different on this golden morning.<br>Something magical in the sunlight, wide and warming.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:15.6933px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:14pt;line-height:19.9733px">I see a dad with a stroller taking a jog.<br>Across the street, a bright-eyed girl chases her dog.<br>A grandma on a porch fingers her rosaries.<br>She grins as her young neighbor brings her groceries.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:15.6933px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:14pt;line-height:19.9733px">While we might feel small, separate, and all alone,<br>Our people have never been more closely tethered.<br>The question isn't if we will weather this unknown,<br>But how we will weather this unknown together.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:15.6933px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:14pt;line-height:19.9733px">So on this meaningful morn, we mourn and we mend.<br>Like light, we can't be broken, even when we bend.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:15.6933px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:14pt;line-height:19.9733px">As one, we will defeat both despair and disease.<br>We stand with healthcare heroes and all employees;<br>With families, libraries, schools, waiters, artists;<br>Businesses, restaurants, and hospitals hit hardest.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:15.6933px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:14pt;line-height:19.9733px">We ignite not in the light, but in lack thereof,<br>For it is in loss that we truly learn to love.<br>In this chaos, we will discover clarity.<br>In suffering, we must find solidarity.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:15.6933px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:14pt;line-height:19.9733px">For it's our grief that gives us our gratitude,<br>Shows us how to find hope, if we ever lose it.<br>So ensure that this ache wasn't endured in vain:<br>Do not ignore the pain. Give it purpose. Use it.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:15.6933px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:14pt;line-height:19.9733px">Read children's books, dance alone to DJ music.<br>Know that this distance will make our hearts grow fonder.<br>From a wave of woes our world will emerge stronger.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:15.6933px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:14pt;line-height:19.9733px">We'll observe how the burdens braved by humankind<br>Are also the moments that make us humans kind;<br>Let every dawn find us courageous, brought closer;<br>Heeding the light before the fight is over.<br>When this ends, we'll smile sweetly, finally seeing<br>In testing times, we became the best of beings.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:15.6933px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:14pt;line-height:19.9733px"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:15.6933px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:14pt;line-height:19.9733px"> </span><span style="font-size:14pt">Be sure to check out some great poetry in accessible formats from MD LBPH!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:15.6933px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:14pt;line-height:19.9733px">Stay well,</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:15.6933px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:14pt;line-height:19.9733px">LaShawn </span></p></div><div><br></div>-- <br><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" style="font-size:12.8px;border-collapse:collapse;border:none"><tbody><tr><td width="102" valign="top" style="width:76.5pt;border-top:none;border-bottom:none;border-left:none;border-right:1pt solid windowtext;padding:0in 5.4pt"><p style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt"><span style="font-size:5pt"><br></span> <img src="cid:ii_14e8cd7de7082e4b" width="90" height="96"></p></td><td width="234" valign="top" style="width:175.5pt;border:none;padding:0in 5.4pt"><p style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;background-image:initial;background-repeat:initial"><span style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif">LaShawn Myles </span></p><p style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;background-image:initial;background-repeat:initial"><font face="Arial, sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12.6667px">Youth Services Librarian</span></font></p><p style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;background-image:initial;background-repeat:initial"><span style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif">Maryland State Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped</span></p><p style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;background-image:initial;background-repeat:initial"><span style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif">Maryland State Library</span></p><p style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;background-image:initial;background-repeat:initial"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:9.5pt">415 Park Avenue</span></p><p style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;background-image:initial;background-repeat:initial"><span style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif">Baltimore, Maryland 21201-3603</span></p><p style="font-size:12.8px;margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;background-image:initial;background-repeat:initial"><span style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><a href="tel:(410)%20230-2454" value="+14102302454" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)" target="_blank">410-230-2455</a> (office)</span></p><p style="font-size:12.8px;margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;background-image:initial;background-repeat:initial"><span style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><a href="tel:(410)%20333-2095" value="+14103332095" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)" target="_blank">410-333-2095</a> (fax)</span></p><p style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;background-image:initial;background-repeat:initial"><a href="mailto:lashawn.myles@maryland.gov" style="font-size:12.8px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif" target="_blank">lashawn.myles@maryland.gov</a><span style="font-size:12.8px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif"> </span></p><a href="http://www.doit.state.md.us/selectsurvey/TakeSurvey.aspx?agencycode=MSDE&SurveyID=86M2956" style="font-size:12.8px;color:rgb(17,85,204)" target="_blank">Click here</a><span style="font-size:12.8px"> to complete a three question customer experience survey.</span><font face="Calibri, sans-serif"><br></font><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" style="font-size:12.8px;color:rgb(80,0,80);border-collapse:collapse;border:none"><tbody><tr><td width="234" valign="top" style="width:175.5pt;border:none;padding:0in 5.4pt"><div style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-size:12.8px"><br></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><span></span><span></span><br></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>