Do you live in an assisted living facility? Do you live in a nursing home? An independent-living retirement community? Do you go to adult day care or have homecare or a caregiver help you out so you can age in place as opposed to moving into a facility?
Most importantly: do you consider yourself an elder?
And do you have some wisdom to share?
Then think about entering the 2011 Elders Prose and Poetry Contest. Winning submissions will be included in “Gems of Wisdom: 365 Days of Poetry and Prose by Elders.” The book is scheduled to be published in May 2011.
Any resident of California who considers himself or herself an elder (meaning no age requirement) can enter the contest. AgeSong and Barnes and Noble — organizers of the contest — suggest that elders write about “real emotions and feelings and keep a special person or event in mind as you write. For example, questions to ponder: What is your relationship with the world? What do you want to teach someone?”
We work with seniors across the Bay Area, and all of them have a story to share. As we encourage our wise and diverse seniors to submit a poem or essay, we hope you’ll consider asking your mom, dad or spouse to also enter the writing contest.
