The Poe-literate Revolution

There are many aspiring teen poets/writers in our own city. Poetry is very much natural - it comes from the heart, from the soul. Thus, age makes no difference. Experience is experience, at any age. Just as love will always remain as love, and pain, as pain. And yes, the young feel it well enough. Young poets are not being heard as much as we should be. We, the young, bright members of the educated community, and of this society, have strong voices of ideas and emotions, but we are eagerly looking for the "mics" we need to reach out. Without support, without recognition, without a glance, our poetic voices - coming straight from deep within: speaking of the heart and soul, and not of the mind, may drown out.

Poetry is a river; many voices travel in it; poem after poem moves along in the exciting crests and falls of the river waves. None is timeless; each arrives in an historical context; almost anything, in the end, passes. But the desire to make a poem, and the world's willingness to receive it-indeed the world's need of it-these never pass.

Poetry has no bars, nor restrictions of any sort, depending wholly on the writer, and perhaps the intended reader. People do realize that there is a poet in some of us. But what they fail to realize, what they overlook, is the young generation, the teens of today.

There are many aspiring teen poets/writers in our own city. Poetry is very much natural - it comes from the heart, from the soul. Thus, age makes no difference. Experience is experience, at any age. Just as love will always remain as love, and pain, as pain. And yes, the young feel it well enough.

Introducing The Mississauga Poetry Society for Teens, an initiative wholly based on supporting and promoting teen poets of the community.

Through this poetry society, young poets are heard through poetry nights, as well as competitions and the various projects that are currently in planning. The projects range from the anthology "Mississauga's Aspiring Poets" that is planning to be published, featuring young aspiring poets from across Mississauga, to the poets' convention - which is planned to showcase talent in front of famous poets, critics and publishers, so that teens may get some feedback on their work, on what to do better, and how to perhaps sell themselves and their poetry. Besides this, the recent launch of the "Poe-literate" campaign - promoting the literacy of poetry within the youth community, as well as weekly poetry nights at one of Starbucks' cafes, here in Mississauga have taken place.

The Mississauga Poetry Society for Teens has thus far the support of certain Starbucks' cafes, The Mayor's Youth Advisory Committee (MYAC) of Mississauga, Youthmedia, TakingItGlobal (through "Projects"), The Amazing Canadian Magazine and The Mississauga Library System, and is hoping to gain more shortly.

After gaining success in Mississauga, the launch of this poetry society as worldwide is envisioned, creating "The International Poetry Society for Teens", with the help of some of the sponsors listed above, as well as new ones as time goes by. Nothing is impossible, and time is on our side, if not abused.

Poetry has a life of its own. Through poetry, we all learn how to be human, how to deal with suffering, what is important and lasting and what really doesn't matter much. We, the young, bright members of the educated community, and of this society, have strong voices of ideas and emotions, but we are eagerly looking for the "mics" we need to reach out. Without support, without recognition, without a glance, our poetic voices - coming straight from deep within: speaking of the heart and soul, and not of the mind, may drown out.