Mission
Our Mission
Poetry is a prism, refracting the light through which we see the world. It explores life’s Big Questions at the intersection of emotion and intellect. Instead of naming things, poetry evokes them, becoming an event in-and-of itself. “WordColoredGlasses” refine our perceptions of lived experience by revealing experience’s hidden facets.
Regularly engaging poetry enriches the soul and the texture of everyday life. A single line can transform your day. A daily practice can transform your reality.
Looking at life through WordColoredGlasses means using Mary Oliver’s “Why I Wake Early” to refocus on the hope of the sun’s early rays when the alarm goes off on Monday. It means thinking of Ada Limón’s “Good Story” while washing dishes… and remembering to have a snack instead of a breakdown (“the body is so body…”). It means interpreting a disagreement with your partner as essential to growth in love, thanks to KuanTao-shêng’s “Married Love.”
But poetry can feel intimidating. Many associate it with the canon — famous poems by revered (mostly white and male) authors. Academic reverence inadvertently casts it to the untouched section of our bookshelves. We forget that poetry can be fun, casual, engaging, playful. Perhaps even relevant… or urgent.
Our goal is to take poetry down from the pedestal. To dust it off, question it, and integrate it with daily life.
We aim to prove that poetry belongs to everyone. We provide concrete steps for cracking poetry open to engaged analysis. We read “canonical” texts alongside contemporary work to reanimate old writing and celebrate modern poetry’s dynamism. We introduce a range of poetic voices that spans gender, race, sexual orientation, culture, and creed.
Above all, our goal is to model how reading deeply is a meaningful template for living.
“Close reading” creates a dialogue between self and text, and therefore an opportunity for honest connection with the people behind those texts. It is the art of truly listening and then fully engaging: an essential skill at the bedrock of community.
We hope to create such a community with you — sharing what inspires us, and listening to the unique perspectives you offer in return.