<![CDATA[Local Gems Press - Freedom Verse]]>Wed, 11 Mar 2026 14:41:58 -0700Weebly<![CDATA[Dowling College Freedom Verse Launch 11/13/13 a Huge Success.]]>Tue, 19 Nov 2013 22:43:37 GMThttps://www.localgemspoetrypress.com/freedom-verse/dowling-college-freedom-verse-launch-111313-a-huge-success

Freedom Verse makes its debut at 
Dowling College
On Wed November 13th 2013 Dowling College hosted a special 2 part event in appreciation of Veterans and their sacrifice. Freedom Verse was present for both of these events. In the early afternoon the Dowling College History Club and Veterans Society sponsored its annual Veteran's Day event where Vets and family members of Vets came out to relay their stories and personal experiences. Every Vet speaker was presented with a plaque honoring their service and a copy of Freedom Verse, Patriotic Poetry in Celebration of the American Spirit.  
After the Veteran's Day event took place the poets from Freedom Verse came out to launch the book with a wonderfully powerful poetry reading. Family and friends and audience members came out to hear the wonderful poetry from the contributors--some of them Veteran's themselves, others just enthusiastic supporters of their cause and situation--and avid proponents of freedom. 
Some of the contributors came from very far away--Suzanne Laudner and her husband came from the Ramstein Air Force base on Germany for the reading! 
In addition to the book being for sale, contributors and patrons of the event had the option to purchase copies to donate them to Veteran's and active duty military bases. More than 50 copies were purchased to be donated and the Freedom Verse project is currently compiling a list of Vets homes and military bases that will be receiving these copies. 
Freedom verse is currently booking events and getting the copies around to the people who need and deserve them the most. If you want more information on how you can help click the picture below to donate a copy to a vet or active duty soldier. Keep checking back here for updates on the Freedom Verse tour and our progress! 
Picture
]]><![CDATA[I Remember My Grandpa (Poetry From Freedom Verse) ]]>Mon, 11 Nov 2013 15:50:57 GMThttps://www.localgemspoetrypress.com/freedom-verse/i-remember-my-grandpa-poetry-from-freedom-verseI Remember My Grandpa
by James P. Wagner (Ishwa) 

“The people in our government can really suck sometimes.
But this is still the best country in the world.”
This was something I remember
my grandpa saying, more than once.
I remember my grandpa...
he was short of stature
an Italian food loving
Italian-American
he liked the simple things in life
salami sandwiches
betting on horses
The Yankees
bringing me little ice-cream cups
and playing toy soldiers with me
when I was young.

“Grandpa, tell me another war story,” I said sometimes
eager to hear more about his exciting tales from WW II
the one about the drill sergeant who pronounced his name wrong
the one about really big guy who fainted
when he got a really small needle
or about his 23 missions flown in the air force
that he flew after transferring out of a tank division
on the ground
that was wiped out, a month later.

Of course, I was too young then to know
he was shot down over occupied France
that he had to hide in a barn
in enemy territory
and too young to imagine
how hard that journey must have been. 

I remember that grandpa
would always recite the Pledge
always remove his hat during the National anthem
always salute whenever he'd pass the American flag.

“Never forget what the flag stands for,” he told me.
“What does it stand for?” I asked.
“The chance for a good life.”
And one time
in one of his rare
strictly serious moments
he said to me:
“If we hadn't won that war, this world today,
would not be a place worth living in.”

And I think that history would agree with him.
And when I see the anger
the cynicism
the sarcastic remarks about America
all over the place today
I always remember my grandpa
and wonder what he might say.

I imagine, he'd say the same thing.
“The people in our government can really suck sometimes,
but this is still the best country in the world.”
Or my own interpretation of what he said
We might not always reach the ideal our forefathers set for us
but the ideal is there,
for us to strive for
and that's the important thing.
After all
America is,
what it always was
the perfect idea
implemented
by imperfect people.

Picture
]]><![CDATA[Freedom Verse: At Long Last Complete ]]>Fri, 01 Nov 2013 20:37:01 GMThttps://www.localgemspoetrypress.com/freedom-verse/freedom-verse-at-long-last-complete
After more than a year of labor, the book has finally been sent to the printer and will be here for the official launch at Dowling College in Oakdale on Long Island, NY on November 13th. The event will be held at 7:00 PM in the Hunt Room. Poets from the anthology will read their work and the Dowling History Club will be hosting a wonderful event for Veterans. 

But that really only marks the beginning of a long journey for Freedom Verse, Patriotic Poetry in Celebration of the American Spirit. This collection, of 50 poets who believe in the concept of freedom, is going to be traveling, and traveling far. 

A Little History Of The Project

The Bards Initiative and Local Gems as well as the Dowling College History club came together with the idea for a book of poetry that was meant to inspire and focus on the positive elements of America and the concept of Freedom in general. Rooted in a firm belief that focusing on the negative doesn't solve anything--and only when one realizes an ideal to strive for can progress and healing really take place, Freedom Verse sought to be an alternative to the voice of dissent.  

The call for submissions was put out across many fields and poems were collected and put together with the long term intention of having them read by a wide audience intent on inspiring soldiers, vets and civilians while honoring those who stand up for freedom in all its forms. 
This poem by Pamela M. Wagner is just one of the many fine examples of poetry from the collection. "America Is Still Beautiful To Me" was one of the first poems collected. 

Long Term Goals: Verse For Vets

One of the goals of Freedom Verse team, Local Gems and the Bards Initiative has been to get a significant number of copies of the book into the hands of veterans and active duty soldiers. Our patrons and readers have been generously donating copies of the anthology for this purpose. 

We currently have 3 military bases and 2 Vets homes on the list we are planning to donate copies to and we are confident more will follow. 


Keep checking back for updates and further news about where we are donating Freedom Verse to, how far the project is going and any ways you can help us get this book into the hands of those who deserve it the most. 
]]>