An Open Letter to all Poets from Jack Hirschman

I am sharing a letter and the WPM statement I have just received by Jack Hirschman. It is addressed to every poet I may know. I hope you’ll read it. Thanks!

Brigadistas everywhere----I've just returned from Medellin and momentous readings and meetings of the World Poetry Movement. Please read the document below----which is the manifesto underlying all we have all dreamed of for a very long time: a worldwide poetry revolution!

Please read it carefully and thoughtfully. It was unanimously approved by the Co-ordinating Committee of World Poetry Movement.

As most of you know, in 2011, 37 poets and organizers of international poetry festivals throughout the world gathered in Medellin and formed the World Poetry Movement. There have been  many and multifold readings since then throughout the world but this year's revolutionary adoption of consciousness is a step-up. Until now we have worked largely with groups but now in addition we are asking you all as Brigadistas and individuals as well to send this document to every poet you know---whether they are in your Brigade or not---and have them contact the World Poetry movement at:

                      worldpoetrymovement@gmail.com

There are many aspects to this contact. For example, I am on the Translation Committee: It has been agreed that poets from whatever language, if they can translate the poems in their language into one of the two main languages of the WPM, that is Spanish or English, upon publication in either the newsletter of the WPM or in books of the WPM, will be paid for their translations. All translations should be sent me at:

                    aggiefalk@hotmail.com

I will forward them to other  members of the translation committee. who are RenatoSandovl Bacigalupo of Peru and Lello Voce of Italy, and we will make determinations on the quality and vigor of the translations. We welcome EVERY language, especially ones that are threatened with extinction.

I know most of you have seen the images of the memorial minute of silence for the Palestinian children and people held in candlelight at the Medellin Festival. I can tell you that no foto can captured the profound spectacle of that event---it was breathtakingly beautiful.

And it was preceded 20 minutes earlier by a reading in Spanish by Fernando Rendon, the poet-organizer of the Medellin Festival, of the declaration below, followed by the English translation of it read by Rati Saxena of India. After Fernando's reading, imagine 5,000 people on their feet applauding for an extended period of time in solidarity with the words that announced a revolution of poetry!!!

That time has come. It is necessary like bread.    

Please forward this and the declaration to EVERY contact you know and urge them to contact

the World Poetry Movement as soon as possible.

Let's think: Everybody's a poet.

Let's get all of us together for the future poem we're all going to write!

Sempre---Jack Hirschman

Jack Hirschman (copyright photo Dave Golden)