“I Declare” Poetry Workshop with WKMS

The Museums of Historic Hopkinsville-Christian County are partnering with WKMS, Murray State University’s NPR-affiliate radio station, to host a poetry workshop inspired by the Declaration of Independence and its 250th anniversary.

To commemorate the Declaration’s signing, participants will be encouraged to share their personal definitions of “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness,” highlighting their individual truths through the art of poetry. The workshop will begin with participants introducing themselves – using only six words — by completing the statement, “I hold this truth to be self-evident…”

Led by award-winning writer and Murray State alum Constance Alexander, the poetry workshop will also feature at least two opportunities for free-writing, based on prompts influenced by the spirit and prose of the Declaration of Independence and its relevance 250 years later.

The workshop’s culminating activity will be a group exercise that asks participants to share their personal declarations, with the option of being recorded for a radio broadcast. A selection of these declarations will be aired regionally on 91.3 WKMS-FM.

From WKMS:

“Engaging participants with the Declaration of Independence during its 250th anniversary year, the project deepens public understanding of the Declaration not as a historic artifact, but as a framework that inspires individuals to examine their lives, values, and rights. By sharing original writings through WKMS broadcasts, online platforms, open mics, and community events, the project creates pathways to conversations about rights, freedoms, and responsibilities, and fosters connections across generations and viewpoints.”

SAMPLE DECLARATION:

Hear Ye Hear Ye Hear Ye
I’m declaring my right to be
Right or wrong good or bad
To fill my plate or leave
The room a mess or dance
all night long alone naked or
Not to share my secret life
With anyone or shout out loud
Everywhere I declare all bonds dissolved
My mind my body my own
My patience ending with this poem
By: Susan Stalick