MAYOR BLOOMBERG HOSTS THIRD ANNUAL TWITTER ‘POETWEET’ CONTEST

Here is a fun spoken word actively spreading poetry through technology. If you’re a poet it should be a great way to get exposure for your poems.

Gregory

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Mayor to Select Winners of “Poetweet” Contest to Appear in Metro New York and on MTV 44 ½ Times Square Screen on Poem in Your Pocket Day (April 26)

In honor of April as National Poetry Month, starting Friday, April 6, the Office of the Mayor is hosting the third annual “Poetweet” Twitter poetry contest. Poems sent using the hashtag #NYCpoetweet by April 20^th will be considered for the grand prize: appearance in Metro New York and on the MTV 44 ½ Times Square screen on April 26, the 10^thanniversary of Poem in Your Pocket (PIYP) day. The rules are simple: keep it clean, and keep it to one Tweet.

Initiated in 2002, PIYP is a citywide celebration led by the Office of the Mayor in partnership with the New York City Departments of Cultural Affairs and Education to encourage all New Yorkers to appreciate poetry and highlight the importance of literacy. Throughout the month, literary organizations will host poetry events across the five boroughs, and on April 26 all New Yorkers will be encouraged to carry a poem in their pocket to share with friends, family and colleagues. Partners for the 10^th anniversary of PIYP day include the Academy of American Poets, the Bryant Park Corporation, the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment, Metro New York, the Poetry Society of America, and the Times Square Alliance. Visit nyc.gov/poem for a calendar of events taking place throughout the month of April and “like” the Poem In Your Pocket Day NYC Facebook page for updates on PIYP activities citywide.

WHO: New Yorkers and Visitors from Around the World

WHAT: NYC “Poetweet” Twitter Poetry Contest

- To celebrate National Poetry Month and NYC’s Poem in Your Pocket day

- The rules are simple: keep it clean, and keep it to one Tweet

- Winners selected by the Mayor published in Metro New York and on MTV 44 ½ Times Square screen on PIYP day, April 26^th

WHEN: Friday, April 6 – Friday, April 20, 2012

WHERE: NYC Mayor’s Office Twitter page (www.twitter.com/nycmayorsoffice)

CONTACT: Danai Pointer or Ryan Max (Cultural Affairs), (212) 513-9323