Northampton poet laureate Lesléa Newman is issuing a challenge to the poets of the Pioneer Valley: write 30 poems in 30 days to raise money for literacy.

Newman got the idea from National Novel Writing month. “Fiction writers write a novel during November,” she explained. “So why not have poets do something similar and raise money for a worthy cause at the same time?”

Poets will download from this website pledge sheets and sign up sponsors who donate a dollar amount per poem. “A dollar a poem, a nickel a poem, any amount will be appreciated,” Newman said. Poets will also get a prompt sheet containing 100 poetry ideas to inspire them, such as “Write a love poem to an inanimate object” and “Write a poem that will change the world.”

Poets will write their first poem on November 1st and write a poem every day through November 30th. On Wednesday, December 2nd there will be a public reading and celebration at Forbes Library and all poets who participated in the project are invited to come read a poem that came out of the project.

“It’s a lot of fun,” says Newman, who has written 30 poems in 30 days before. “Remember, they don’t have to be great poems. They just have to be poems. But you may very well surprise yourself.” Newman plans to participate in the project herself, and is actively looking for sponsors.

Money raised from the 30 Poems in 30 Days project will be donated to the Center for New Americans (CNA), a non-profit community-based education and resource center for immigrants, refugees, and other limited English speakers in the Pioneer Valley. The organization offers free English classes, free literacy classes, free child care for students, family literacy, and many other services. Newman’s goal is to raise $3,000 for CNA’s Family Literacy Project. “Thirty poets who each find 3 sponsors to pledge a dollar a poem will almost do the trick,” she said. Newman fully expects to meet and exceed her goal. “There are a lot of poets in the Pioneer Valley,” she said. “And a lot of people committed to raising money for literacy.”

Anyone can participate in the project, regardless of writing experience. To receive a pledge sheet, or to find out how to sponsor the poet laureate, click here.

To find out more about the Center for New Americans, visit www.cnam.org.