I’m excited to share my first project with the PPLP as poet laureate called Raising Voices. State poet laureate Alice Fogel and I have partnered to put together a poetry and creative writing class at the International Institute of New England with a group of their refugee and immigrant English language students.

Our aim is to participate with the IINE in their efforts to make refugees and immigrants to New Hampshire feel safe, welcome and valued and to help them in the process of integrating into their new life here in the states. In the long run, we hope to collect the poems and stories of these new Americans in the form of writing and video diaries to create a forum for education and outreach to the larger community. 

Once we see a person’s humanity and see that they’re people with families just trying to survive in the world like everyone else, compassion can be the only response. Refugees and immigrants are the same today in America as they’ve always been. The family history of so many Americans can be traced back to refugees and immigrants of all cultural and religious backgrounds who faced similar prejudices as those of today.

Through compassion and education, we can help stem the tide of fear and rise together toward a more integrated and supportive community.