Red-Letter Day ~ JULY 18

JULY 18 is a most special day, here in the Imaginary Garden as it marks the anniversary of this blogsite which officially welcomed poets on this day in 2011.

However, today is even more auspicious on a global scale, as it commemorates the centenary of Nelson Mandela's birth.

Wire sculpture of Nelson Mandela
taken with permission
~K. O'Connor~

His birthday on July 18 is marked annually around the world, and the Nelson Mandela Foundation called this year for people to "take action and inspire change" in Mandela's name. (Barack) Obama will set the tone for the celebrations with a speech in Johannesburg on July 17 that aides say will be his most important public address since leaving the White House in 2017. "It gives him an opportunity to lift up a message of tolerance, inclusivity and democracy at a time when there are obviously challenges to Mandela's legacy around the world," his aide Benjamin Rhodes told the New York Times.
Read the full article HERE.
Visit the Nelson Mandela Website.

To mark this special day, please share your thoughts in commentary or a poem inspired by the words of Madiba: ten of his most memorable quotes can be found HERE.

The 13-minute video documentary of Mandela's life has been provided by the Nelson Mandela Foundation, which has given the UN permission to use it.




“For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.” – Long Walk to Freedom

The Toads Anniversary on Mandela Day!

Dear Members of The Imaginary Garden with Real Toads, 

Today is the FOURTH anniversary of our Group Project! From very humble beginnings back in July 2011, we have taken this concept of a small core of member poets who wanted to work closely together, founded on the principles of the improvement of our writing, the benefit of long-term support and consistent feed-back on one another's work and we have seen it develop over the years into one of the most influential way-stations for poets in the blogosphere.

We have had many different members over the years and each has left his or her mark, but there are several founder members who have formed the back-bone of the blog and whose on-going support is still strongly felt: Sherry of Stardreaming with Sherry Blue Sky, Ellen of Ella's Edge, Marian of runaway sentence and (Yours Truly) Kerry of Skylover. In addition to these, we were joined by both  Kenia of A Exercise on Existing and Fireblossom of Shay's Word Garden in the first six months and many other long standing members.

At present, 11 of our members provide a mid-week challenge and an additional 3 conjure up our Sunday Mini-Challenges, with 2 members having both a weekly and weekend slot. It is also worth mentioning that an Open Link has been provided every week since the blog's inception, with 181 OLMondays and 28 Tuesday Platforms. I believe we owe a debt of gratitude to every person who has contributed, either with their inspiring prompts or by sharing their poems and comments. You have made The Imaginary Garden the creative space it is today through your own unswerving endeavours.

nelsonmandela.org

In addition to July 18 being our anniversary, it is also Nelson Mandela International Day, adopted by the United Nations. In the spirit of Nelson Mandela's self-sacrifice for the good of humanity, the theme of this day is to give a little of your time to help others. You may wonder: What Can I Do? There is no deed too small that it does not make a difference in someone's life. Traditionally, the Nelson Mandela Foundation asks that people donate 67 minutes of their time to a cause or task of their choice. I have given my 67 minutes to The Imaginary Garden in updating the Home Page so that we may enjoy another year of growing and sharing through the power of words and free speech.

I extend my best wishes to all toads, friends, poets in the hopes that you will have a day filled with joy.