To the Editor:

Thank you to everyone who attended, participated, or helped with Sunday’s fourth Risk A Verse poetry event — Newtown’s annual celebration where we invite non-poets to share a few lines of verse.

Our group of readers surprised us at every turn this year; they recited poetry with humor, passion, and earnest enthusiasm — so much so that one attendee asked if we had rehearsed beforehand. (For the record, this event is entirely unscripted, and that’s what makes it fun!)

Risk A Verse is a celebration of poetry, but it is also a gathering of discovery; we meet a beer brewer who is also a feisty performer. We hear how poetry inspires a musical duo. We are awed by the words of an emergency dispatcher. If you live or work in Newtown, you know how remarkable this community is. Risk A Verse reminds us that poetry is what binds us. Best of all, funds raised during this event support the Cultural Arts Commission’s scholarship program, offering scholarships to Newtown students who choose to pursue education in the arts.

We are deeply grateful to everyone who made this event possible (with a special shout out to The Newtown Bee). But most of all, we are grateful to live in this audacious town that continues to amaze and inspire us. We’ll be back next year for Risk A Verse Five!

Tracy Van Buskirk and Lisa Schwartz

Risk A Verse Partners in Rhyme, Newtown Cultural Arts Commission

3 Primrose Street, Newtown         April 10, 2019