KENT, Ohio — Many people are looking for healthy ways to cope with stress after living through the pandemic.

What You Need To Know

  • Dear Vaccine was started by the Wick Poetry Center at Kent State University and University of Arizona Poetry Center

  • The global poem has nearly 2000 stanzas 

  • Authors from every state in the U.S. and more than 100 countries have contributed to the poem

A global vaccine poem, titled Dear Vaccine, is offering people from around the world a way to let out their feelings in a creative manner. 

The Wick Poetry Center at Kent State University along with the University of Arizona's Poetry Center have teamed up to launch the global vaccine poem. 

The director of the Wick Poetry Center, David Hassler, said when the University of Arizona reached out to him about joining this project, he knew immediately this is something he wanted to be a part of. 

“We often turn to poetry in times of difficulty and confusion and grief and intense emotion," Hassler explained. "We find that people are turning to this project and finding some solace in giving shape and expression to their feelings that haven’t been expressed.” 

The global vaccine poem website launched at the end of March. Since then, thousands of stanzas have been submitted. 

"We now have received over 1,900 short poems on the website from 111 different counties and every state in the U.S.,”  he said. 

This international website allows anyone to add a stanza and write a creative reflection in response to their vaccine.  

“One person's life experience put into language can travel far and very quickly and sort of take root or be taken to heart by another and then shared as well," Hassler said. "We like to think of the idea, the creative idea can spread as quickly as any variant of the virus.” 

You can add a stanza or read some of the poetry by going online to globalvaccinepoem.com