ROCKLAND — In celebration of National Poetry Month this April, the Good Tern Gallery extends an invitation for creative spirits to participate in Poetry & Art X, its annual mail-in exhibition, at Hole in the Wall Bagels, 754 Main Street, Rockland.

Anyone interested may submit a piece (or two or three). Entries can take the form of a poem, painting, drawing, collage, or any other creation that fits the canvas of a postcard. Content needs to remain family friendly for display in the gallery space. Entries may be signed or left anonymous and must be postmarked by March 22, 2024. Send contributions to: Curator of Poetry & Art, PO Box 1661, Rockland ME 04841. Any additional questions can be directed to art@fernaxelson.com.

Coordinator Fern Axelson is excited about the breadth of possibilities when art and poetry are encouraged to intersect, according to the Good Tern Co-op, in a news release.

“Poetry, visual art, poems inspired by sculptures, drawings inspired by poetry, poems by artists, visual art by poets, etc. — anything that fits on a postcard of any size or in an envelope,” said Axelson. “There are so many possibilities! Unleash your creativity!”

Axelson recalls the success of past mail-in exhibitions, which welcomed entries from around the globe, and anticipates another show of diverse and captivating expressions forming a beautiful collective whole.

The exhibition will run throughout the months of April-June.

The public is invited to an opening reception for Poetry & Art X on April 7, at 2 p.m., at Good Tern’s Hole in the Wall Bagels, at 754 Main Street, Rockland.

While poetry mail-in show work is traditionally not returned, those who wish to get their piece back may include a self-addressed stamped envelope, and locals may pick up from Good Tern in the first week of July.

Good Tern Natural Foods Co-op is a member-owned food and health store, founded in 1980 to provide healthy food and wellness choices at reasonable prices for the local community. The Co-op’s Education & Community Outreach Committee is a volunteer effort to engage residents of Midcoast Maine and beyond in fun and satisfying ways to learn while improving their own mental and physical health as well as ensuring a healthy planet.