Poetry to Bridge Generations
Poetry is the voice of the soul.
Each year the Intergenerational Poetry Contest awards prizes to local youth and adults over 50 to help bridge the gap between the generations. The event features a Winners Celebration and Poetry Slam to hear readings of the winning poems and provides an opportunity for face-to-face dialogue about poetry and poems.
This program was created in 2009 and is maintained by a partnership of the University of Nebraska at Omaha Department of Gerontology with public and private schools connected by the UNO Dual Enrollment Program and Service Learning Academy. The Omaha Public Libraries and the Nebraska Writers Collective are UNO's founding and continuing community partners. The program is managed by student members of the university chapter of Sigma Phi Omega (SPO), which is the national gerontology academic honor society, and the SPO faculty advisors.
The 2017 contest concluded with the Winners Celebration and Poetry Slam on Sunday, October 15, 2017. Read a selection of winning poems from elders and winning poems from youth.
2018 Intergenerational Poetry Contest Information
When: Sunday, October 14, 2018
Time: 1 - 3 p.m.
Where: UNO Campus, Milo Bail Student Center (MBSC), Room 201
Why: To Bridge the Generations
To participate:
Adults age 50 and older (group name: 50+)
youth in grades 7 through 12 (group name: teen)
Each entrant submits two poems:
- How the world views or how society treats older people
- How the world views or how society treats teenagers.
Submission information:
When: February 26 until October 1, 2018
How: Online, Email, or Mail
What: 2 poems per entrant
Include on each poem in the upper right corner:
1. Your age group (Teen or 50+)
2. Your full name, address, phone, and email address
3. Title of your poem
Prizes for each age group:
| First Place | $100 |
| Second Place | $ 50 |
| Third Place | $ 25 |
| Honorable Mention - 7 awarded | $ 10 |
Must be present to claim prize.
The top three winning poets from each age group will read their poems at the Winners Celebration & Poetry Slam on October 14, 2018. Parking is open to the public and a map can be viewed here.
Ways to submit:
| Online | ||
| unospochapter@unomaha.edu | Attn: Sigma Phi Omega Poetry UNO Department of Gerontology 211 CPACS 6001 Dodge Street Omaha, NE 68182 |
Submit |
Questions should be directed to unospochapter@unomaha.edu or 402.554.2272.
The Intergenerational Poetry Contest is an annual event. The goal is to connect generations and enrich lives of older and younger persons. It is sponsored by the University of Nebraska at Omaha - Dual Enrollment Program and Department of Gerontology in partnership with the Omaha Public Library and Nebraska Writers Collective.
Announcements
Contact Us
- Sigma Phi Omega of UNO: unospochapter@unomaha.edu
- Lyn Holley, PhD: lmholley@unomaha.edu
College of Public Affairs and Community Service
- CPACS Units and Resources
- Division of Continuing Studies
- School of Criminology and Criminal Justice
- Department of Gerontology
- Goodrich Scholarship Program
- School of Public Administration/Aviation Institute/Emergency Management and Disaster Science
- Grace Abbott School of Social Work
- William Brennan Institute for Labor Studies
- Center for Public Affairs Research
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