The poetry community is a powerful one – filled with artists who have so much passion. The poetry community is one that gets together to share their words with one another, whether it was through readings, writing sessions, or even slam poetry competitions.
The Poetry Community
Poetry communities are formed in different places all over the globe as a way to bring together writers and people who simply to love to listen to poetry. Poetry events are always intimate happenings where people get together and are filled with the same love for the art of poetry. People who read the poetry read their stories and stories of others to others who may or may not relate. As an audience member, you tend to find yourself immersed in the experience as someone may be speaking what you have not been able to put into words.
Awareness
What does poetry have to do with mental health awareness? Simply, poetry discusses all kinds of topics. It could be happy, and it could be sad. It could talk about love, death, injustice, heartbreak, family, friends, and even food! There is so much that poets tend to talk about in their poetry.
One very common theme is, in fact, mental health! Poets have long spoken about their own experiences with mental health, whether that was their struggle, recovery, or both. Many have even spoken about the mental health struggles and the healing of their loved ones.
For poets writing and performing about mental health, there is so much awareness and normalization that comes into place along with it. As an audience member in a poetry event, as I mentioned, you may find yourself really feeling what you are listening to.
As such, poets are able to convey the fact that mental health struggles are not a taboo topic to talk about, that it is normal and okay not to be okay sometimes, and that there is so much that comes into play when it comes to our mental health. Because they are experts in conveying feelings, they are often able to help people understand what it really feels like for someone struggling with their mental health.
Poets have the ability to raise a very strong voice regarding many important matters, including mental health, and it is a very important message to raise, too!