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.