Born from inside Â鶹¾«Ñ¡â€™s Wick Poetry Center, “Dear Vaccine†gives citizens a chance to process the pandemic through poetry.
The poetry center collaborated with the University of Arizona to expand on poet Naomi Shihab Nye’s poem “Dear Vaccine.†The poem became a catalyst for respondents around the world to share their own poems.
recently featured Nye and the work of “Dear Vaccine.†The poems cover respondents’ thoughts about the COVID-19 vaccine and how the pandemic has affected their lives.
“I thought of it instantly as, ‘this will be a chorus of community voices welcoming the next phase,’†Nye told PBS NewsHour. “I think everybody was wistful and lonely for many voices mixed together at that point.â€
The book titled “Dear Vaccine: Global Voices Speak to the Pandemic'' received over 2,300 submissions from people of all ages and locations. Respondents ranged from high school students at Â鶹¾«Ñ¡to women in Saudi Arabia to Â鶹¾«Ñ¡ President Todd Diacon.
Printed by Â鶹¾«Ñ¡ Press, the book is set to release this month in honor of National Poetry Month with receptions held at Â鶹¾«Ñ¡to celebrate.
To learn more about “Dear Vaccine,†visit .
To watch the PBS segment on “Dear Vaccineâ€, visit .
To learn more about the Wick Poetry Center, visit www.kent.edu/wick.