NPS - National Park Service
03/06/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 03/06/2024 10:56
U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón to visit national parks as part of “You Are Here” poetry project
News Release Date: March 6, 2024
Contact: [email protected]
WASHINGTON, DC - National parks from coast to coast will host special events this year with Ada Limón, the nation's 24th Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry. In partnership with the Library of Congress and the Poetry Society of America, Limon's "You Are Here: Poetry in Parks" initiative will feature site-specific poetry installations in seven national parks.
"Generations of artists have been inspired by the landscape of national parks," said National Park Service Director Chuck Sams. "We are honored that Ada Limón is continuing that long tradition through her signature project which encourages everyone, especially youth, to reflect on the meanings and values of nature."
In each of the seven parks, "You Are Here: Poetry in Parks" installations will transform picnic tables into works of public art featuring an American poem with a meaningful connection to the park. While in the parks to unveil the picnic tables, Limón will also engage with local youth, tribes and/or community groups.
"'You Are Here: Poetry in the Parks' aims to deepen our connection to nature through poetry," said Limón. "I believe the way we respond to this crucial moment on our planet could define humanity forever. In conceiving of my signature project, I wanted something that could both praise our sacred and natural wonders and also speak the complex truths of this urgent time. Above all, this project is about rising to this moment with hope, the kind of hope that will echo outwards for years to come."
Following are the dates and locations for the "You Are Here: Poetry in the Parks" celebrations and table unveilings:
- June 14: Cape Cod National Seashore in Massachusetts
- June 21: Mount Rainier National Park in Washington
- June 23: Redwood National and State Parks in California
- July 12: Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Ohio
- July 20: Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina and Tennessee
- October 8: Everglades National Park in Florida
- December 3: Saguaro National Park in Arizona
The featured poets and poems include:
- Mary Oliver, "Can You Imagine?" at Cape Cod National Seashore
- Jean Valentine, "The valley" at Cuyahoga Valley National Park
- June Jordan, "Ecology" at Everglades National Park
- Lucille Clifton, "the earth is a living thing" at Great Smoky Mountains National Park
- A.R. Ammons, "Uppermost" at Mount Rainier National Park
- Francisco X. Alarcón, "Never Alone" at Redwood National and State Parks
- Ofelia Zepeda, "Na:nko Ma:s Cewagi/Cloud Song" at Saguaro National Park
Please visit NPS.gov for more information about each park's public events.
The project includes an invitation for public participation. The National Park Service and Limón hope people of all ages-poets and non-poets-will feel moved to write their own responses to the You Are Here prompt of what would you write in response to the landscape around you? People have the option to share their responses on social media using the hashtag #YouAreHerePoetry.
Limón was appointed as the 24th Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress on July 12, 2022, and was reappointed for a historic two-year second term on April 24, 2023. Limón's second term will conclude in April 2025.
For more information, please visit the Poet Laureate and the Literary Initiatives Office and the Poetry Society of America.
About the National Park Service. More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 425+ national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov, and on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.