The Power of Written Words

It’s almost time to kick off our fourth annual Poem-a-Thon! Today we hear from guest writer Ann Youmans, our volunteer Poem-a-Thon coordinator, about why she approached City of Refuge with the idea and how she hopes to impact our refugee community through the power of the written word. 

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“When I graduated from college, I took a job in Japan assisting English teachers in the public schools with their classes. I arrived in the major southern port city as a cum laude college graduate who was now unable to read: my boss made me flash cards that said things like “Is this the bus to Takeoka Junior High School?” so I could get myself to work. In general, though, it was an adventure. My difference from the locals was appealing rather than threatening; I had no children depending on my ability to distinguish the bottles of dish soap and cooking oil at the grocery store; I had a native land to go back to. 

Flash-forward a couple (*cough*many) decades. Coming out of the pandemic, I discovered online workshops as a way to expand my community as well as all the usual reasons to take classes. I discovered an organization in Massachusetts with a mission similar to City of Refuge: the Center for New Americans in Northampton. They run a fundraiser called “30 Poems in November!” for their services, and I admit, I signed up the first time for the writing prompts and Zoom workshops. As I tried to wrangle my thoughts and feelings into some verbal form, however, I recollected those days in Japan, and how driven I felt to write letters. I remembered the stories my family tells of various ancestors, which we have because they wrote letters and poems about their experiences. Given how much writing is already going on in Columbia — how much we value writing and communication — I thought a group writing challenge would be a great awareness-raiser in our town as well, and the City of Refuge staff dove right in! 

Writing can feel very vulnerable. We don’t always want people to know how we feel about things! We don’t want to come across as inexpert, we don’t want to be misunderstood — and this is one more way we can find empathy with our immigrant neighbors, a sliver of the feeling of struggling to find the words to get through a day. I invite all of you to join me in this friendly challenge to stretch yourself this April and put words to your experiences, or to pledge some financial support in the name of someone who has signed up to write. Whether you write one poem or 30 in the coming days, your voice gives the rest of us an opportunity to understand something new.”

Ann Youmans

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We hope you enjoyed hearing from Ann. The “why” is so important! What’s yours?

Below is a poem written last year by one of our long-time participants, Susan Even. This piece was based on a prompt that Ann provided in one of our optional daily emails. We appreciate people like Ann and Susan who come alongside us, using their voices to help support and empower our wonderful refugee neighbors!

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