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July 10-25, 2003 Dear fellow poets, activists and friends, I am writing to introduce you to the “Peace Poets Walk to Denver,” a positive and creative demonstration being organized for July, 2003. I intend to walk from Gunnison, where I live, to Denver along a route that includes Salida, Cañon City, Colorado Springs and the many smaller communities between. Before beginning the journey, I hope to gather poems from interested poets all over Colorado and take them with me to Denver. There, I will present them to Governor Bill Owens as a collective statement of our vision for a peaceful and sustainable society. The following is a simple mission statement for the action: “Poets the world over are frequently the first in their societies to envision and articulate positive change. The purpose of the ‘Peace Poets Walk to Denver’ is to solicit that literary vision from Colorado poets and writers, and to deliver it to our political leaders. We encourage creative, positive solutions to the wide range of social, economic and environmental challenges facing our culture by fostering dialogue between Colorado’s poets, activists and politicians. We believe that peace and justice are local issues that demand local attention. Our aim is not to focus on what is wrong in the world, but to elicit the very best in people, to begin building the sustainable community on which our future depends.” The walk will be timed to arrive in Denver on July 24, one day ahead of the sentencing of Jackie Hudson, Carol Gilbert and Ardeth Platte, three nuns recently convicted of “obstruction of the national defense of the United States.” In an act of courageous civil disobedience, the women entered a U.S. Air Force Minuteman III Missile compound to draw attention to the need for the United States to rid itself of its own weapons of mass destruction. Their action was non-violent and did no material damage to the site. They now face 5-8 years in a federal penitentiary. The “Peace Poets Walk to Denver” is intended to show solidarity with the nuns and the many other demonstrators who will gather in Denver that day in their support. It is our hope that poets and activists in communities along the walk route will take the opportunity to organize peace rallies and poetry readings to coincide with the arrival of myself and any others who choose to walk with me. Communities not on the walk route are also encouraged to hold rallies of support and solidarity. We see the entire event as an opportunity to forge new connections among writers, activists and other like-minded people all over Colorado toward creating a peaceful and sustainable society. I am also available to speak about the walk and our vision for peace at poetry readings and other gatherings before the walk begins. Writers who wish to include a poem should follow these guidelines: 1. Write from your strongest vision of a peaceful, just and sustainable society. What sort of world do you wish to create for yourself and your children? What sort of future do you dream of? 2. The poem should be limited to one page or less. 3. Please send only one poem per person. Be sure to include your name and contact information. 4. Send two hard copies of your poem. One will be delivered to Governor Owens, the other will be kept as an archive of the collected work. Poets will retain full rights to their work. 5. Please do not send poems via e-mail, as we do not have the resources to print them all. 6. Please, if you are able, include a donation of $5 or more with your poem to help cover the cost of the event. Send your poem, not later than July 7, 2003, to:
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