City Hall Encourages Staffers to Showcase Agency Pride through Poetry, Embracing Creativity and Boosting Morale

City Hall Encourages Staffers to Showcase Agency Pride through Poetry, Embracing Creativity and Boosting Morale

In a surprising move, New York City’s City Hall has asked its top staffers to unleash their inner poet and write poems about their respective agencies. The request came as part of the little-known national “Poem in your Pocket” day, which aims to celebrate the joy of poetry. However, not everyone is thrilled about this creative exercise, with some city workers calling it a waste of time and an ode to government ineptitude.

The email announcing the poetry contest was sent by the city’s Digital Content & Communications manager, who encouraged the bureaucrats to take a break from managing the metropolis and channel their inner Emily Dickinson in under 70 words. The email also promised that if a team writes and submits a poem about their agency, it will be turned into a graphic for them. The poems are then expected to be shared on Twitter on April 18, the designated Poem in Your Pocket Day.

Despite the city’s attempt to boost morale and foster creativity, some city workers are less than enthusiastic about the idea. They argue that there are more important tasks at hand and that this exercise is nothing more than social media nonsense. One worker even suggested that a poem could easily be generated using Chat GPT, rendering the effort unnecessary.

Critics of the initiative also argue that forcing employees to write poetry doesn’t actually encourage them to appreciate or embrace the arts. Instead, they believe it makes the city look unserious and misses the point of the day altogether. They argue that being professional should be the priority rather than engaging in what they perceive as frivolous activities.

However, City Hall defends its decision, stating that the poetry exercise was all in good fun and not a mandatory assignment. According to City Hall spokeswoman Liz Garcia, they simply encouraged agencies to share poems on social media and offered to turn the poems into graphics. The intention was to celebrate Poem in Your Pocket Day and foster a sense of agency pride.

Poem in Your Pocket Day was launched in 2002 by the Mayor’s Office, along with the city’s Departments of Cultural Affairs and Education. Since then, it has gained traction and expanded to all fifty states, with the Academy of American Poets leading the way. The day encourages people to celebrate the written word by posting a poem on social media, reading one aloud, or even adding a poem to their email footer.

While the response to City Hall’s poetry initiative may be mixed, it is clear that they intended to promote creativity, boost morale, and showcase agency pride. Whether employees embrace this opportunity or view it as a waste of time remains to be seen. Nonetheless, it serves as a reminder that even in the halls of bureaucracy, there is room for artistic expression and a celebration of the written word.