Everything Comes Next - And How Does Poetry Help Us?
With Naomi Shihab Nye

A Live, Virtual Program in Partnership with Mercy by the Sea

$35 (Inquire about partial scholarships)

“There’s a place in this brain where hate won’t grow.
I touch its riddle: wind, and seeds.
Something pokes us as we sleep. It’s late but everything comes next.”
From “Jerusalem” in Everything Comes Next: Collected and New Poems by Naomi Shihab Nye

“Living through strange times” has become a ubiquitous phrase. Are there simple ways a life with more poetry in it might benefit? Please join us for an online gathering of poems and practices with highly acclaimed poet Naomi Shihab Nye. Poetry is not something we learn and master - it’s a continual process of discovery, a means of piecing together the many threads that stitch together a life. We find our own ways, but consider this evening a booster of encouragement for all, no matter how much time you’ve spent with poetry in the past. The live, virtual program will include input from the presenter, readings from her poetry and a Q&A for participants. The program’s title derives from Nye’s 2020 collection of her most beloved and new poems from the past 40 years, Everything Comes Next, and gleans from the final line of her poem, “Jerusalem.”

Together, Mercy by the Sea and The Poets Corner are collaborating to support and celebrate National Poetry Month, which the Academy of American Poets launched more than 25 years ago. Since then, National Poetry Month has grown to become the largest literary celebration in the world. The annual observance is meant to remind the world that poets have an integral role to play in society and culture, and that poetry greatly matters.

Learn more about Naomi Shihab Nye here.

Register at mercybythesea.org or call Mercy’s Guest Services at 203.245.0401, Ext. 114 for details.