From Hiram LarewPlease plan to gather with us on Zoom to kickoff the Art Auction to Alleviate Hunger. The event will be a wonderful way to celebrate creative collaborations between worldwide artists and poets as they help us raise funds for Feed the Children.
*** SATURDAY, DEC 3 at 2 pm EST US ***Here’s a good 1-min video from Feed the Children about the event —And, here’s T. A. Niles’ great blogpost about the event —Be sure to register to attend Saturday’s big launch — tinyurl.com/hungerartauction
Hiram Larew
Poets Speak Back to Hunger – An Interview with Hiram Larew
By g emil reutter
GER: How did you get involved with the United Nations and the formation of Poetry X Hunger?
HL: My career at the US Department of Agriculture and the US Agency for International Development was all about guiding international anti-hunger programs. And over those years, I was actively involved with poetry. It took retirement, however, for me to realize that there was very little available poetry about hunger of the stomach. In discussing this with staff at the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, they offered to showcase such poetry if I would rouse poets to write it. Fast forward – as a result of that partnership and in collaboration with The Capital Area Food Bank and the Maryland State Arts Council, the Poetry X Hunger website (www.PoetryXHunger.com) holds many, many poems from poets around the world. And, those poems are being used in Houses of Worship, in K-18 classrooms, and by anti-hunger leaders and organizations to raise awareness about the scourge in the US and overseas.
GER: Through your efforts poets have written about hunger and malnutrition as well as other areas directly impacting food supply. What impact do you believe this will have on world hunger?
HL: I always make the point: Poetry will never eliminate hunger. But I immediately follow that admission with my solid conviction that poetry can surely help. How? Well, unlike data, trendlines, statistics and even science that are very useful tools-of-logic in the anti-hunger toolkit, poetry speaks to the heart and soul. Poetry can move people to take action in ways that those other tools simply don’t. In fact, poetry has been so important in advancing other social issues such as immigration (think of Lazarus’s poem, The New Colossus, at the base of the Statue of Liberty), poverty, inequality, and the like. So, why not bring poetry to bear on hunger?
Poetry X Hunger logo by Diane Wilbon Parks
GER: What was the selection process for Poets Speak Back to Hunger: An e-Collection of Poems from Around the World ?
HL: We chose a few of the powerful poems from the Poetry X Hunger website. We showcased a diversity of poets from all over the world. And, we presented their work in text form and, in many cases, as audio or video recordings. The e-Collection has been featured by award winning hunger author, Roger Thurow, on his blog. It was also used by the US-wide group, Hunger Free Communities, to find poets who then presented at HFC’s national summit.
The PDF can be read here: https://www.poetryxhunger.com/uploads/1/2/5/7/125799040/poetsspeakbacktohunger.pdf
GER: The Poetry X Hunger website also publishes poets writing about hunger, (https://www.poetryxhunger.com/poems-submitted-for-the-2021-world-food-day-poetry-competition ). How often will the site be updated?
HL: We constantly update and add to the website as volunteer time allows.
GER: On October 23rd at 2pm you will be hosting a virtual reading with the Moonstone Arts Center in Philadelphia. Share with us how this came to be and who will be reading at the event?
HL: I’ve known Larry Robin for several years. He recently reached out to ask if Poetry X Hunger would feature a few poets, in conjunction with October 16’s World Food Day, on MAC’s series, and I jumped at the chance. Featured poets will be Aaron R (Virginia, USA), Josephine LoRe (Alberta, Canada), Tony Treanor (County Limerick, Ireland), Ladi Di Beverly (Maryland, USA) and Taku Chikepe (Zimbabwe). We’ll also replay a haunting poem by Patience Gumbo (Zimbabwe).
On Zoom: https://moonstoneartscenter.org/event/virtual-poetry-reading-poets-speak-back-to-hunger/
Other Links:
Poets call for empathy and action towards a hunger-free world
https://www.fao.org/north-america/news/detail/en/c/1444423/
Email: PoetryXHunger@gmail.com
Call For Submissions
Calling all Poets living in Canada and the United States!
From Hiram Larew-
22/06/2021
In recognition of 2021 World Food Day and in keeping with the power of poetry to move hearts and minds towards needed anti-hunger actions, Poetry X Hunger and its partners announce an important Call for Poetry Submissions. Collaborators include the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Liaison Office for North America, the Capital Area Food Bank and, poet Rebecca Roach.
Held every October 16, this year’s World Food Day is themed on “Our Actions Are Our Future. Better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life.” Our modern world is putting enormous strain and competing pressures on our agri-food systems. Our collective choices as consumers and producers today impact what tomorrow will look like. World Food Day calls for building sustainable, inclusive, and resilient food systems that deliver enough affordable, nutritious, and safe food for all. The campaign also recognizes and thanks to #FoodHeroes who, no matter the circumstance, continue to provide food to their communities and beyond.
Read more here:
http://www.fao.org/north-america/news/detail/en/c/1412528/
Coming on June 13th
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On June 13th North of Oxford will present the poetry of: Tim Suermondt, Christopher Barnes, Cameron Morse, Hiram Larew and Michael A. Griffith.
North of Oxford 