Missouri Verses and Voices is about . . .

• Inspiring creative vision.
• The creative voice of Missouri's people.
• Creative education through Missouri's poetry (Verses).
• Celebrating Missouri's artists (Voices).
• Encouraging collaborative expression.
• Teaching Missourians to see, shape and share the vision of creative words.
• Interacting with the poetry of Missouri's poet laureate and America's poet laureate.
• Connecting Missourians with their literary, musical, and artistic heritage.
  

Founders: Walter Bargen, David Benz, Mary Ann Haenni

Mission
The mission of Missouri Verses and Voices is to connect Missouri students and audiences with the poetry and music of Missouri.

Purpose
The purpose of Missouri Verses and Voices is to develop creative learning experiences that teach students to see, shape, and share the creative meaning of words. This special and unique program integrates the creative arts through the poetry of Missouri.

Description
Missouri Verses and Voices is a new educational initiative designed to expand creative activity in Missouri. Creativity is a learned process that integrates several forms of artistic knowledge and experience. Missouri Verses and Voices provides a unique process to collaboratively integrate all art forms in the expression of creative words. These art forms include: musical arts, visual arts, communication arts, theatre/forensic arts, and poetry. Missouri Verses and Voices is the first program to enable Missouri students and audiences to interact with our new Poet Laureate, Walter Bargen, and America’s Poet Laureate, Kay Ryan. Their words, Verses, inspire many forms of artistic expression. By creatively interacting with the Verses of the Poets Laureate and other notable Missouri poets, students are defining their Voices to see, shape, and share their creative vision.

Northwest Missouri Leadership Team:
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