Nine Words We Share films added

We launched the new Adrian Brinkerhoff Poetry Foundation website in April 2020: a time of worldwide crisis in which community, empathy, and mutual care quickly became vital tools for survival.

Right away, we envisioned a new film series that could connect our audiences more intimately with poets and performers. These films, shot by artists at home and intended for viewers in their own homes, were conceived of as bridging the distance of self-isolation and quarantine, heightening the impact of poets' words through deeply personal delivery. We intended the films to address the urgent cultural need for kinship and meaning, bringing words of solace and resilience from poets and actors directly to anyone seeking it. We named this series Words We Share.

The poems and reflections documented in this form soon covered topics ranging from wellness and illness to community and connectedness to Covid-era writing practice. Initially shared on social media, they are now a permanent part of our site's film archive. Watch them all here:

• Martina Evans reads Wisława Szymborska's "Could Have"
• Andrew McMillan reads Seán Hewitt's "Evening Poem"
• Denice Frohman reads Aracelis Girmay's "Elegy"
• Hannah Lowe reads her new poem "Paper, Scissors, Stone"
• Peter Halstead reads his poem "Putting the World to Bed"
• Camille Rankine reflects on creative practice during uncertain times
• Catherine Dryden reads Nikita Gill's "Love in the Time of Coronavirus"
• Mahogany L. Browne reads her new poem "Untitled in Covid 19"
• Joseph Aldous reads Mary Oliver's "Wild Geese"

The series continues soon, with more readings and reflections from poets we love—stay tuned!