Poetry in the Parks
"It's not what you look at that matters. It's what you see."
- Henry David Thoreau
Poetry in the Parks is a public humanities project that began in 2019 with a short poetry film initiative that is now archived on Instagram. Within each instillation, a national, state or local park is celebrated through the words of a poet . . . and a poem is celebrated through the beauty of a park.
The project's mission is to increase participants' abilities to see, to borrow Thoreau's words . . . that is, to increase their awareness of the sacred mystery, majesty and delight that is constantly revealing itself in the land communities to which we belong.
A secondary and no less important goal is to make the serious delight of poetry accessible to people everywhere.
Here are some of the ways we hope you will get involved:
Submit to Locus Poetica
Locus Poetica enhances the mission of Poetry in the Parks by weaving together public humanities, environmental awareness, and creative expression.
By contributing to Locus Poetica you strengthen connections between people and the land communities they are a part of, elevate diverse voices through accessible, community-driven publication, and build a dynamic archive that will grow with each new visitor and poet.
By merging technology with the arts and environment, Locus Poetica enables Poetry in the Parks to creates opportunities for reflection and dialogue across diverse communities, turning every visit to a park into an encounter with art and culture.
Become a Community Collaborator
Poetry in the Parks is a nonprofit public humanities project dedicated to strengthening humans' connections to their land communities and the arts through artful attention to place.
We welcome partnerships with park systems, schools, libraries, museums, arts organizations, historical societies, Indigenous communities, and other local groups interested in creating place-based poetry experiences. Whether you're launching a new initiative or building on an existing program, we'd love to explore how we can work together.
To learn more about collaborating, please use the contact form on this page or email us at poetryintheparks@gmail.com.
Support Poetry in the Parks
Poetry in the Parks is a nonprofit public humanities organization dedicated to strengthening communities through artful attention to place. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit registered in Wisconsin, donations to Poetry in the Parks are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.
It currently costs approximately $2,000 each year to maintain and grow the project, including hosting the website and mobile app, supporting the interactive poetry map, and preserving our growing collection of place-based poems. Your donation helps keep these resources available while expanding opportunities for communities to discover, share, and celebrate poetry in the places they call home.