World Poetry Day: Peace & Inclusion

Today is World Poetry Day!

World Poetry Day!

Today poetry lovers and poets unite across visible and invisible borders to commemorate World Poetry Day!

This year the theme is ‘Poetry as a Bridge for Peace and Inclusion’. This year's theme highlights poetry’s role in fostering harmony, bridging cultures, and expressing deep human emotions. It also looks at poetry’s transformative role in promoting peace, creativity, and inclusion.

Last month I shared with you all on my social media platforms that I am now a published poet - that's right, your girl is published!

Published poet!

My poem, among 19 others from Zimbabwean and Sierra Leonean poets was complied into the anthology called I edited by Elizabeth A. Kamara and Philani A. Nyoni. The anthology is an exploration of identity through poems from Sierra Leone and Zimbabwe published by Inkundla Spaces and Lit Fest Harare in November 2024.

The poem I submitted was my most popular one which I wrote in 2018 entitled 'We Are Waiting' and in 2019 it was turned into a visual poem (YouTube):

We Are Waiting (Visual Poem) by Mina Bilkis produced by The Young Sierra Leonean

After I had been published, I sat down with one of the publishers and asked what can people expect from this anthology and where it can be found:

1. Are any copies of the I anthology available for sale?

Answer: I is a labor of love project and is not available for sale.

2. If someone wants to support with printing costs, can they?

Answer: Yes, individuals interested in supporting with printing costs can contribute.

3. Will the anthology be digitized?

Answer: The anthology will be digitized and available on Amazon for free download.

4. What is the next step for the anthology?

Answer: The vision is to distribute this to local libraries and be used as a resource.

Overall it's been an exciting process seeing my name in hand held print 😊

Table of Contents of I

I look forward to continually writing, creating and exploring.

Happy World Poetry Day to all!