In the Wild
On a bus. In a laundromat. Along a sidewalk or an alley.
Let’s get poetry out of the books and into the world!
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Long an advocate for poetry-in-public, I’ve cheered on writers and artists taking poetry to the streets:
In Arizona, Shawnte Orion hosts poetry readings in laundromats, bars, and abandoned buildings.
In Washington, Paul Nelson invites people to share poetry on postcardsand in museums.
In New Mexico, Dale Harris and Scott Wiggerman host the Poets’ Picnic, an annual event that features haiku-style poems written on brown paper tags and hung from trees.
In Colorado, an artist partners with a poet to create bold murals in downtown Denver.
And in almost every city, street poets are producing on-the-spot poems in old-fashioned handwriting or with creaky typewriters.
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Poetry is too wide and wonderful to grow stale in dusty books that few may crack.
Open the doors! Let poetry in — or, rather, out!
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Take a walk with me.
I want to share my latest poetry-in-public project: The 2026 Indian Creek Trail Poetry Walk.
The Walk features 20 poems placed along a four-mile walking path traversing the town of Hood River, Oregon.
The poems were added to the trail in April to celebrate National Poetry Month and will remain for six months. Poems are written by Columbia River Gorge poets and are accompanied by images from area photographers.
Now in its second year, the Poetry Walk is a unique collaboration between Hood River County Library District and Hood River Valley Parks and Recreation District.
You can view the poems, poets, photos, and map here.
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In the spirit of poem-hunting, I’m thrilled to hear the new initiative from Oregon’s Poet Laureate.
Ellen Waterston, who was recently appointed to a second two-year term, wants to see public display of poems — from permanent art installations to poetry walks — in communities across the state.
The effort, called P!PP (Poetry in Public Places), is a celebration of poetry and, she says, “underscores what an accessible and durable art form poetry is.”
Write on!
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Are you spotting poetry in public? Or placing poems in the wild?
I’d love to hear from you.
Woah, Drew--your mural?! That is so incredibly cool.
"Poetry is too wide and wonderful to grow stale in dusty books that few may crack.
Open the doors! Let poetry in — or, rather, out!” I’ve just reviewed two books by Hood River writer Eileen Garvin, and now this posting has a link to a trail near Hood River--with poems at every turn!