Good morning, Asheville. It’s not only a new week, it’s a whole new month, and I want to kick things off with some feel-good news. In the pandemic — as in other times — art has been particularly helpful to many of us. Whether it’s visual, performing, literary, or or another form, creating + consuming art can have powerful mental + physical health benefits. These include stress relief, increased mental acuity, and better immune function. In particular, reading and writing poetry have highly therapeutic effects on the mind. Doing one or both can enhance health in unique ways, including increased memory + verbal skills, improved critical thinking skills, greater self-awareness, and a deeper sense of empathy.
If you’re fortunate enough to live in or around the historic Montford neighborhood, you may have noticed “Poetry for Passers-by,” the poetry kiosk on Pearson Dr. The brainchild of Asheville poet Alida Woods, she began the project April 1 — shortly after Governor’s Cooper issued the original Stay Home, Stay Safe order — as a way to help herself and others find beauty and better manage their feelings of pandemic-related sadness + anxiety. “The world needs poetry now more than ever,” she says.
Each morning at 7 a.m., Alida goes out to the kiosk her husband built specially for the project and puts up a new poem, printed + placed inside a plastic page protector in case of rain. She has listed her email address with a welcome note encouraging folks to send her poems they’d like to see shared. She chooses poems with a positive message, and they range from classics works from the likes of Rumi + Shel Silverstein to originals from her neighbors + mail carrier, whom she’s dubbed the “Poet Laureate of Montford.”
Hats off to Alida for her lovely endeavor that’s helping nurture a sense of community + hope during uncertain times.
