Kids Poetry Workshop: Learn Haiku Writing for Rain Poetry Project

by Jane Stahl

Boyertown Community Library invites youth from grades 3-5 to a haiku writing workshop as part of the PA Humanities inaugural Rain Poetry grant.

The workshop, led by Sorcha Smith, Youth Services Librarian and Sara Bates, writer and library board member, will be held at the Boyertown Community Library on April 15, 2026, beginning at 4:45 p.m. Students will learn to write a haiku and submit it to the library for a chance for it to be part of the September Reveal Party at the Boyertown Park. Assorted activities are being planned for the Reveal Party at the park and following it throughout Boyertown to showcase the students’ haikus.

PA Humanities awarded ten youth-serving organizations from across Pennsylvania to develop public humanities projects that center young voices, encourage community connection, and bring poetry to public spaces.

Rain Poetry Project
In October 2025, Boyertown Community Library announced a grant award from PA Humanities to fund their participation in the Rain Poetry Project. Since its debut in 2023 as part of PA Humanities’ 50th anniversary, Rain Poetry has engaged hundreds of young people, supported dozens of workshops led by poets and teaching artists, and produced hundreds of original poems.

These works were installed in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Reading, and Johnstown, and all were published in special poetry collections for each city. In 2025, a selection of poems from all the Rain Poetry sites was installed outside the State Library of Pennsylvania in Harrisburg and revealed during a special public event attended by First Lady of Pennsylvania Lori Shapiro, highlighting the program’s statewide reach and impact.

Workshops were developed with insights from past project experiences and come with a free toolkit offeromg practical guidance and step-by-step resources to help schools, libraries, cultural organizations, and community groups implement Rain Poetry projects in their own neighborhoods.

“Rain Poetry is an opportunity for young people to take the lead as celebrated creators and thinkers in their own communities,” PA Humanities executive director Laurie Zierer said. “When youth voices are visible and valued, communities across Pennsylvania are stronger.”

Rain Poetry is part of PA Humanities’ ongoing work to spark creativity, strengthen communities, and connect people through the power of the humanities. Projects by Rain Poetry Grant awardees will be developed throughout 2026, with public installations and reveal celebrations designed to spotlight the words of young people within their communities.

Funding has been made possible with the support of Pennsylvania’s state legislators. Funding has been provided by William Penn Foundation, The Heinz Endowments, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, Pennsylvania Rural Arts Alliance, Richard King Mellon Foundation, The Grable Foundation, The Wyomissing Foundation, with support from the Pennsylvania Department of Education, the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, administered by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the Commonwealth Financing Authority, and the Department of Community and Economic Development Community and Economic Assistance Program.

PA Humanities is an independent nonprofit partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and part of a network of 56 state humanities councils across the country. Its mission is to champion the humanities as a means to spark civic engagement, build community, educate, and inspire.

Information taken from PA Humanities February 2026 press release

For more information about the PA Humanities Rain Poetry program, follow the link: https://pahumanities.org/rainpoetry/

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