Life is rich with opportunities for joy, connection, achievement and meaning. Through this project, readers will catch glimpses of the good life through the literary art of poetry.
Poetry, like beauty, can be in the eye of the beholder. Like beauty, there are universal qualities recognizable to an appreciative eye. So is the case in collecting poetry evocative of well being, human flourishing, or well lived lives. Without landing a single, potentially confining, definition of poetry for our purposes, here are key elements to consider when selecting poems for submission. This collection will include poetry that fits some or all of the following descriptions.
• Uses economy of language, just enough and just the right words.
• Transcends the literal through image, metaphor and/or revelation.
• Expands our worlds, it does not diminish.
• Is ripe and rich with meaning.
So what is positive poetry?
Flourishing is more than the absence of disease or mental illness. While the mitigation of disease is necessary, admirable work, the drive to thrive is about the best of ourselves. It celebrates excellence. The Poetry of Well Being is poetry savoring what’s best in humanity.
In his new work, Martin Seligman, the father of positive psychology, expands the discipline from happiness to well being, measured by the degree of one’s flourishing. Seligman has identified four elements that lead one toward a flourishing life: positive emotions, positive relationships, meaning and accomplishment.
While one could argue that all poetry serves humanity in some positive ways, the poetry found in this anthology is poetry that is north of the non-misery equator. It is poetry that describes well being by way of one of its four pillars. In many cases, a poem will evoke more than one pillar of well being. That is expected and that is beautiful.
