Wanted: Your ZipOdes to Benicia!
poetlaure...@gmail.com
Send in your Benicia ZipOdes!
Whether you are a Benicia resident or connected to Benicia by another affiliation,
send ZipOdes* by June 9 to poetlaure...@gmail.com subject line ZipOdes.
*Scroll down the page for full information
What’s a ZipOde?: A ZipOde is a poem about a town, based on that town’s zip code.
- Your ZipOde will have 5 lines, one for each digit in Benicia’s zip code.
- The number of words in each line is determined by the digits in the zip code.
ZipOde for zip code 94510, Benicia CA, would have this word distribution:
9 [9 words]
4 [4 words]
5 [5 words]
1 [1 word]
0 [no words—you can use a symbol or a sound or silence]
An example:
9 I will change into my painting pants and shirt
4 Benicia is a palette
5 Of limitless and gorgeous vistas
1 Yay!
0 [Ooooo]
Writing your ZipOdes:
- Write and submit as many as you like.
- Write about any aspect of Benicia: the beauty, the shortcomings, your appreciation, your frustrations, whatever.
Submitted ZipOdes
- May be displayed at the Benicia Library,
- Or read aloud at the June 25th event “Benicia Our Home” (see flyer attached).
- Will be collected and posted on the Library website.
- Your ZipOde will be identified by your first name and last name initial—unless you request anonymity.
Send in your Benicia ZipOdes!
Mary Susan Gast
Benicia Poet Laureate