Older people in Galway have been invited to write a line of poetry for a ‘Poemathon’ – a collaborative poem featuring one line from each contributor.
The Poemathon with Older People was launched by Poetry Ireland with the Global Brain Health Institute and Creative Brain Week today, and former President Mary Robinson has written the first line: Growing up we did not know; now we need to mend
Contributions from across the island of Ireland will be combined to form a collaborative poem capturing the thoughts and imaginings of older people on the theme of climate crisis.
Mary Robinson said that it is wonderful to see the Poemathon with Older People focusing on the climate crisis as its theme and bringing together the voices of an older generation through the shared experience of creating a poem.
“As we get older, we think more often about our legacy and picture the world that will be inherited by the next generations. I look forward to seeing how the contributors to the Poemathon engage with the idea that now is the time we need to mend.”
This is the second year of the Poemathon with Older People, which will again be curated and edited by poet and editor Seamus Cashman.
Submissions can be made through a form on Poetry Ireland’s website from 1 March until 5pm on 28 March – at this link.
