The mission of Poetry Live is to use poetry as a common language to connect people, live online. The program brings students together virtually in cooperative and community-building experiences that foster deeper understanding of the true issues at the heart of history and contemporary culture. It aims to use poetry as an accessible and common language for the study of the humanities and other school subjects. Poetry Live believes in using the Internet in a very human way to connect learners with remote experts with whom they might never interact. Poetry Live is a strong advocate of student-centered learning and the importance of vibrant communities in energizing the learning process. As such, learners not only write their own poems, but also present them live online to human audiences and have active discussions with peers and experts online -- and in the classroom. We also believe that an emphasis on professional development for educators -- technology- and subject-based -- is vital to ensuring that we deliver the promise of an effective, exciting, and practical education for today's learners.