The Bronx County Historical Society is presenting The Kindness Session, a free poetry workshop on recognizing the difference between kindness and cruelty to channel that in our writing on Thursday, April 16, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. till approximately 7:45 p.m.

The Poetry Workshop takes place at Poe Cottage, 2640 Grand Concourse, in the Bronx. Subways near the Visitors Center are the 4, B, and D train at the Kingsbridge stop. Buses to the Center are Bx9, Bx22, Bx28, Bx38, and BxM4 (express bus). The Poe Visitors Center is up the Hill from the Fordham Metro North train stop. 

Led by area poet Anne Leighton, the Kindness Session will include sharing works from classic and contemporary writers including Edgar Allan Poe, Naomi Shihab Nye, the Bronx’s Peppy Castro, Charlie Iris, Mary Oliver, John Masefield, Emily Dickinson, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, as well as selected poems from attendees. 

Once the attendees discuss poems, they will be encouraged to think of incidents where they recognize kindness from life experiences, friends and acquaintances, and how it affected their lives. From there, writers will be encouraged to create a first draft of poetry. Writers will read their poems, and be encouraged to revise the poem in the days, weeks, or months to come.

For more information, please reach out to Anne at LeightonMedia@aol.com.

About Anne Leighton

Anne Leighton appears on the Grammy-nominated album, “Healthy Food for Thought: Good Enough to Eat,” (Audio & Video Labs) reading her poem “Feed Your Parents Well.” She’s contributed to The Indie…