Georgia Poetry in the Parks is being held along new poetry trails in three DeKalb County parks. (Courtesy of Georgia Poetry in the Parks)
By Carolyn Cunningham
Georgia Poetry in the Parks is a collaboration among the Georgia Center for the Book, the DeKalb Library Foundation and Georgia Poet Laureate Chelsea Rathburn.
This program is made possible by the Academy of American Poets with funds from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
Georgia Poetry in the Parks places poems by contemporary Georgia writers along park trails to encourage individuals and families exploring Georgia’s green spaces to stop and reflect on their environment and the power of language, according to a statement by Georgia Poetry in the Parks.
Many of the stops on the poetry trails include creative prompts for people interested in writing poems or narratives of their own.
At various points in the year, the poetry trails will be supplemented by readings and workshops – some to be held online and some outdoors.
Poetry trails by Georgia Poetry in the Parks were installed in April and May 2022 on the Michelle Obama Trail near the Georgia State University-Perimeter College Decatur Campus, the Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area and Glenlake Park in DeKalb County.
Another trail will be hosted by the Georgia Writers Museum in Eatonton.
The concept of Georgia Poetry in the Parks came about in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic when many Georgian families began exploring the outdoors to relieve the pressures of online schooling and working from home.
Joe Davich, executive director of the Georgia Center for the Book, and Ally StoneWright, the Center for the Book’s program assistant, began brainstorming ways to bring poetry outdoors with Rathburn, bringing about Georgia Poetry in the Parks.
Learn more about the project at GeorgiaPoetryInTheParks.org.
Read the original story on AJC.com.
