Rain Poetry Reading

It’s raining poetry in Reading!

PA Humanities engaged seventh graders from St. Peter’s School, third graders from Lauer’s Park Elementary School and young patrons of Reading Public Library in hands-on haiku workshops facilitated by teaching artists Adrian Perez-Roman, poet laureate of Berks County, and Caitlin Johnson, the library’s Youth Services Supervisor. The students learned to express themselves through haiku poetry, exploring the topic, “the colors of my city.” Their poems will be installed over the next several months at the main library branch, the Northeast branch and Lauer’s Park Elementary.

Sparking Imagination

Children’s imaginations were sparked through deep reflections on the theme, “the colors of my city.”

As teaching artist Adrian Perez-Roman noted, “There can be a negative outlook on Reading, but the kids highlight the positives.” Students at each of the four workshops thought deeply about their city and neighborhoods, as well as nature, growth and their own experiences to create their own haiku poems. For the first time since the project’s inception in Philadelphia in 2023, the workshops were offered in both English and Spanish to reflect Reading’s large bilingual population. These workshops also demonstrated the humanities as an exciting means of imaginative self-expression that builds meaningful relationships.

Featured Poems

Sin no puedes caminar
Ni correr huela al cielo que
Vas a ver el mejor pais Reading

-Edgar V, Ryan S

The moonlight shines down
The city is beautiful
As traffic lights shine

-Khalaya J, Carmen J

Tho the sun is gone
Your eyes still light up the sky
Like the stars up high

-Nicholas C, Mason B, Diego N

I took a picture
Of the ocean breeze, smelling
The fresh scent, at ease

-Serenity P

When the rain has stopped
And when the sun has appeared
Colors arc the sky!

-Adelle G

If I cannot walk
If I cannot run, I will
Fly like a butterfly

-Class Poem

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.

“Consistently in each workshop, the participants were hesitant at first. It was rewarding to see them slowly open up during our time with them. I was surprised at just how many participants wanted to share their poems with the group by the end of the workshop. …Young people often see poetry as a turn-off, and this project gave them a taste of how fun and rewarding poetry can be while exploring their own creative potential.”

- Caitlin Johnson, Youth Services Supervisor, Reading Public Library (Teaching Artist)

“I noticed one of the kids was kind of shut off in the beginning, but that kid was the one that was really into it at the end. He was the one who was writing the most, and even went up and presented his poem. That, to me, was cool. I liked seeing that, because he probably didn’t expect that he was going to enjoy it and at the end he told me, ‘Oh I really liked that.’ For them to be able to really focus on writing a piece with a little bit of help, it just showed the potential a lot of these kids have, and it hopefully sparked an interest in them as well.”

- Adrian Perez-Roman, aka Apito, Berks County Poet Laureate (Teaching artist)

Events and Information

Join us for one of our three public Rain Poetry reveal celebrations!

Wednesday, July 16 from 3 to 4:30 p.m. at Reading Public Library Main Branch (rain date of July 17) – 100 S. Fifth St., Reading, PA 19602

This installation will include poems written by students at St. Peter’s School and students who participated in the workshop at the library’s main branch

Saturday, July 19, time TBD, at Reading Public Library Northeast Branch. 1348 North 11th Street, Reading, PA 19604. Stay tuned for updates!
Saturday, Sept. 13 at Lauer’s Park Elementary School. Stay tuned for updates!

Rain Poetry Map

Reading Public Library Main Branch
100 S. Fifth St.
Reading, PA 19602

Reading Public Library Northeast Branch
1348 North 11th Street
Reading, PA 19604

St. Peter’s School
225 S 5th St
Reading, PA 19602

Lauer’s Park Elementary
251 N 2nd St
Reading, PA 19601

Reading Public Library Main Branch
100 S. Fifth St.
Reading, PA 19602

Reading Public Library Northeast Branch
1348 North 11th Street
Reading, PA 19604

Lauer’s Park Elementary
251 N 2nd St
Reading, PA 19601

Young poets share the ‘colors of their city’ in Reading

Adrian Perez-Roman has lived in Reading his whole life and heard many different opinions and thoughts about the place he calls home. Hearing what the young people participating in recent Rain Poetry workshops had to say about their city, however, brought nothing but smiles.