Ohio Poetry Association Winter Postcard Project

The Ohio Poetry Association invites you to get creative and spread some winter cheer by making unique postcards with fellow art lovers.

We are thrilled to invite members to our postcard project for the month of February! Register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/opa-winter-postcard-project-tickets-2004100023118.

Inspired by Cascadia Poetics LAB’s annual Poetry Postcard festival, which Paul Nelson and Lana Ayers began through Cascadia in 2007, OPA’s Winter Postcard Project encourages poets to quiet the inner critic and enjoy the act of creating and writing through the nostalgic act of sending postcards while building community with each other.

The heart of the project is to write and send a poem a day, reinforcing daily practice and embracing the spirit of community.

We will also hold an optional, virtual postcard making party and mini exercises on spontaneous poetry writing on December 5 via Zoom for members who want to join the fun.

Registration for both the postcard project and the postcard-making party opens November 1.

HOW IT WORKS: 

Step 1: Register here to participate in this self-guided project by January 11, 2027.

Your registration address should be the address to which participants will mail postcards to you.

This is open for OPA members and non-members, in the U.S. and internationally.

Step 2: Purchase or create 28 postcards (one for each day of the month of February) for writing and sending poems to the other participants on your list.

We encourage you to get together in person or online for a postcard-making party and this can include a mini-workshop on spontaneous writing. OPA will host a virtual workshop on December 5, 2027 from 11 AM to 12:30 PM eastern. Registration opens on November 1.

If you wish to join us at the virtual Postcard Making party, please register here before Friday, December 4th at 8pm EDT. 

Step 3: A list of participant names and addresses will be emailed to you on January 25, 2027. The list will include 29 names (28 participants plus you).

Step 4: Mail your first postcard to the first name directly below yours on the list. Continue going down the list, writing a new original poem for each person on the list until you reach your name.

Step 5: Mail your postcards by February 28, 2027. You can choose to mail one each day or in bulk, whatever works for you. The goal is to postmark the postcards by the last day of February. This way, everyone will receive them around the same time.

POSTCARD ETIQUETTE:

Please wait to post your poems online (your Facebook page or OPA’s) until after February 28, 2027.

Please do not post others’ poems without their permission.

QUESTIONS?

For more information about the OPA Winter Postcard Project, email 2nd Vice President Shei Sanchez at vicepresident-2@ohiopoetryassn.org.