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In 2016 I led Arts in the Parks poetry workshops inspired by trails at Fort Harrison State Park
Arts in the Parks & Historic Sites
Arts in the Parks and Historic Sites, an initiative by the Indiana
Arts Commission, draws upon traditional and non-traditional
arts and artists in Indiana, weaving arts into our state’s
natural beauty, rural settings, and historic places. This grant
program provides funding for arts-related projects that
encourage the creation of and public engagement with art
in the Indiana state park/forest system and historic sites
. Funding provides individual artists and non-profit organizations
to bring arts programs, services, and artist in residencies to
local communities. Find a listing of all 2018 Individual Artist
Arts in the Parks projects here. These activities are made
possible with support by the Indiana Arts Commission, the
Indiana Arts Commission and Indiana State Historic Sites.
In 2016 there were five poets with grants--Vienna Bottomley, Joyce Brinkman, Liza Hyatt, Kevin McKelvey, and myself.
For additional information about these poets' projects, visit the Poetry Features page and scroll down to the June Issue. Click here and scroll down to find poems and photos from my 2017 residency at Limberlost State Historic Site in Geneva.
A hiding place for freedom seekers
2018 Poetry Residency at the Levi & Catharine Coffin State Historic Site
Poetry at the Underground Railroad's Grand Central Station
This year I will lead three poetry workshops at the Levi and Catharine Coffin State Historic Site: one for adults and high school students and two for students, grades one through eight. As part of my residency, I will also write poems inspired by the site, develop a poetry prompt hand-out for students, and present “Voices for Justice: A Poetry Reading.”
Saturday, April 7, 1-2:00 PM, "Voices for Justice" Free reading with an open mic.
We had a wonderful turn-out! Many thanks to those who attended my reading.
Saturday, August 25, 10 AM-4 PM, "Inside the Levi & Catharine Coffin House"
When: Saturday, August 25, 10 AM-4 PM
Where: The Levi & Catharine Coffin State Historic Site, 201 US 27 North, Fountain
City, IN
Who: Adults and High School Students; from beginning to advanced poets
To Register: Email Shari Wagner Here. Registration is limited to 10 participants
Join Shari Wagner, Indiana Writer Center Instructor and Former Indiana Poet Laureate, for an all-day writing workshop at the Underground Railroad’s Grand Central Station. Activities will include a discussion of prompts and models, collaborative and individual writing exercises, and a guided tour of the Coffin House ($10 Adults, $8 Seniors, $5 High School Students 17 and under).
Except for the cost of the tour, this workshop is free, supported by the Arts in the Parks and Historic Sites program, an initiative of the Indiana Arts Commission.
Future Events:
"At the Underground Railroad's Grand Central Station: A Workshop for Kids"
Free poetry workshops for kids. Registration required. Saturday, September 22 and October 27, 1:00-4:30 PM
Poetry at the Underground Railroad's Grand Central Station
This year I will lead three poetry workshops at the Levi and Catharine Coffin State Historic Site: one for adults and high school students and two for students, grades one through eight. As part of my residency, I will also write poems inspired by the site, develop a poetry prompt hand-out for students, and present “Voices for Justice: A Poetry Reading.”
Saturday, April 7, 1-2:00 PM, "Voices for Justice" Free reading with an open mic.
We had a wonderful turn-out! Many thanks to those who attended my reading.
Saturday, August 25, 10 AM-4 PM, "Inside the Levi & Catharine Coffin House"
When: Saturday, August 25, 10 AM-4 PM
Where: The Levi & Catharine Coffin State Historic Site, 201 US 27 North, Fountain
City, IN
Who: Adults and High School Students; from beginning to advanced poets
To Register: Email Shari Wagner Here. Registration is limited to 10 participants
Join Shari Wagner, Indiana Writer Center Instructor and Former Indiana Poet Laureate, for an all-day writing workshop at the Underground Railroad’s Grand Central Station. Activities will include a discussion of prompts and models, collaborative and individual writing exercises, and a guided tour of the Coffin House ($10 Adults, $8 Seniors, $5 High School Students 17 and under).
Except for the cost of the tour, this workshop is free, supported by the Arts in the Parks and Historic Sites program, an initiative of the Indiana Arts Commission.
Future Events:
"At the Underground Railroad's Grand Central Station: A Workshop for Kids"
Free poetry workshops for kids. Registration required. Saturday, September 22 and October 27, 1:00-4:30 PM
2017 Poets in the Parks & Historic Places
Joyce Brinkman at Clifty Falls State Park
H20 Haiku
Joyce Brinkman, former Indiana Poet Laureate, will conduct lessons in poetry writing using the ancient Japanese poetry writing technique of haiku. Funds will be used to support the poet's time at the park conducting the workshops and for the creation of haiku rocks that will be displayed after the workshops are completed.
Last year Joyce worked with the nature staff at Pokagon State Park to designate a trail to be used as a Poet's Path. She spent time on the path choosing locations that would serve as points where park visitors can stop and use a downloadable audio podcast that will help
them appreciate the natural beauty of that place and focus on a certain aspect of poetry
craft on this walking, poetry workshop.
Joyce Brinkman at Clifty Falls State Park
H20 Haiku
Joyce Brinkman, former Indiana Poet Laureate, will conduct lessons in poetry writing using the ancient Japanese poetry writing technique of haiku. Funds will be used to support the poet's time at the park conducting the workshops and for the creation of haiku rocks that will be displayed after the workshops are completed.
Last year Joyce worked with the nature staff at Pokagon State Park to designate a trail to be used as a Poet's Path. She spent time on the path choosing locations that would serve as points where park visitors can stop and use a downloadable audio podcast that will help
them appreciate the natural beauty of that place and focus on a certain aspect of poetry
craft on this walking, poetry workshop.
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This preview video promotes the trail and Joyce's audio
podcast workshop. |
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Edward Byrne at Indiana Dunes State Park
Indiana Dunes: Photographs and Paragraphs
Edward Byrne's Indiana Dunes project consists of a portfolio of photographs accompanied by notes one paragraph in length. Each photo focuses on a place in the Indiana Dunes and is partnered with prose to explore or explain the topography--plus at times historic or cultural significance of the setting--as well as to provide personal inspirations, observations, and experiences. An added element of the project includes lectures, public presentations, workshops, and other events to be held at various venues. In addition, month-long gallery exhibitions of photographs from this project will be held at the Indiana Dunes State Park Nature Center and the Indiana Dunes Visitor Center during October.
To find more information about Ed's project, as well as to access his photographs and
daily journal entries, visit his project website. He invites anyone interested to "like"
his Facebook page.
Indiana Dunes: Photographs and Paragraphs
Edward Byrne's Indiana Dunes project consists of a portfolio of photographs accompanied by notes one paragraph in length. Each photo focuses on a place in the Indiana Dunes and is partnered with prose to explore or explain the topography--plus at times historic or cultural significance of the setting--as well as to provide personal inspirations, observations, and experiences. An added element of the project includes lectures, public presentations, workshops, and other events to be held at various venues. In addition, month-long gallery exhibitions of photographs from this project will be held at the Indiana Dunes State Park Nature Center and the Indiana Dunes Visitor Center during October.
To find more information about Ed's project, as well as to access his photographs and
daily journal entries, visit his project website. He invites anyone interested to "like"
his Facebook page.
Charity Singleton Craig at McCormick's Creek State Park
Writing in Place: McCormick's Creek State Park
This project brings together writers from the area for a series of writing-related events, including a one-day writing workshop; an open call for submissions for a chapbook of prose, poetry, and plays inspired by the park; and a book sale and public reading during the park's annual Arts in the Parks Festival to support the Friends of McCormick's Creek State Park.
Charity offered her writing workshop on March 18. For information about how to submit to
the anthology, check out her Writing in Place website and Facebook page.
Writing in Place: McCormick's Creek State Park
This project brings together writers from the area for a series of writing-related events, including a one-day writing workshop; an open call for submissions for a chapbook of prose, poetry, and plays inspired by the park; and a book sale and public reading during the park's annual Arts in the Parks Festival to support the Friends of McCormick's Creek State Park.
Charity offered her writing workshop on March 18. For information about how to submit to
the anthology, check out her Writing in Place website and Facebook page.
John Sherman at Mounds State Park
Poetry for the People and by the People
"Poetry for the People and by the People," two workshops featuring the poetry of John Sherman and poems by visitors, will be offered at Mounds State Park, in conjunction with the park's annual poetry and photography competition. Sherman will lead the writing project. Funds will cover supplies for the creation and display of poems, all related to the history of the ancient site.
John's workshops took place on March 4th and April 1st. Click here for the Facebook Page.
Poetry for the People and by the People
"Poetry for the People and by the People," two workshops featuring the poetry of John Sherman and poems by visitors, will be offered at Mounds State Park, in conjunction with the park's annual poetry and photography competition. Sherman will lead the writing project. Funds will cover supplies for the creation and display of poems, all related to the history of the ancient site.
John's workshops took place on March 4th and April 1st. Click here for the Facebook Page.
Shari Wagner at Limberlost State Historic Site
In Gene Stratton-Porter's Footsteps:
Writing Poems Inspired by the Limberlost
In my residency at Limberlost State Historic Site, I led three poetry writing workshops with writing activities designed to help participants explore the beauty, history, and ecological importance of the Limberlost, as well as its connection to renown nature writer and novelist Gene Stratton-Porter.
My last event at the Limberlost was "Spirit of the Limberlost: A Poetry Reading."
On Saturday, October 14, the public was invited to hear poems written by members of
my three workshops. The program took place from 7-8:30 PM at the Visitors Center,
with refreshments included. The Limberlost blog is featuring poems from that reading.
Saturday, July 22 Inside Gene Stratton-Porter's Cabin: A Poetry Workshop
Eleven poets joined me for this event at Limberlost Cabin. Enjoy a reading of their
poems on October 14!
Saturday, August 26 In Gene Stratton-Porter's Footsteps: A Poetry Workshop
Eleven poets from as far south as New Harmony and as far north as Ontario joined
me for a hike and outdoor workshop at Loblolly Marsh Nature Preserve.
Saturday, September 23 Among Sights, Sounds, & Silence: A Poetry Workshop
Four children with their parents or grandparents joined me for a hike and poetry
workshop at the Loblolly Marsh and Shelter, Geneva, Indiana
Note: If you would like to read articles about Gene and the birds and other wildlife of
the Limberlost she studied and loved (and even wrote poems about), check out
the historic site's wonderful Blog. You will also find individual poems and collaborative
poems from all three of my workshops.
In Gene Stratton-Porter's Footsteps:
Writing Poems Inspired by the Limberlost
In my residency at Limberlost State Historic Site, I led three poetry writing workshops with writing activities designed to help participants explore the beauty, history, and ecological importance of the Limberlost, as well as its connection to renown nature writer and novelist Gene Stratton-Porter.
My last event at the Limberlost was "Spirit of the Limberlost: A Poetry Reading."
On Saturday, October 14, the public was invited to hear poems written by members of
my three workshops. The program took place from 7-8:30 PM at the Visitors Center,
with refreshments included. The Limberlost blog is featuring poems from that reading.
Saturday, July 22 Inside Gene Stratton-Porter's Cabin: A Poetry Workshop
Eleven poets joined me for this event at Limberlost Cabin. Enjoy a reading of their
poems on October 14!
Saturday, August 26 In Gene Stratton-Porter's Footsteps: A Poetry Workshop
Eleven poets from as far south as New Harmony and as far north as Ontario joined
me for a hike and outdoor workshop at Loblolly Marsh Nature Preserve.
Saturday, September 23 Among Sights, Sounds, & Silence: A Poetry Workshop
Four children with their parents or grandparents joined me for a hike and poetry
workshop at the Loblolly Marsh and Shelter, Geneva, Indiana
Note: If you would like to read articles about Gene and the birds and other wildlife of
the Limberlost she studied and loved (and even wrote poems about), check out
the historic site's wonderful Blog. You will also find individual poems and collaborative
poems from all three of my workshops.
DaVinci Pursuit founder Mark Kesling talks about the ecological importance of waterways at Tippecanoe River State Park.
River Writings:
Exploring Science Through Poetry
riverwritings.com/
River Writings is a collaborative project of the daVinci Pursuit, former Poet Laureate Joyce Brinkman, and the Indiana Arts Commissions' Arts in the Parks program. This project "focuses on our rivers using the artistry of the poet to engage people in exploring the science of our waterways. The health of our rivers impacts the health of the aquatic life in them and the health of the communities in the watershed."
I was one of five poets asked to write a poem about some aspect of plant or animal life along the river at Tippecanoe River State Park. By walking Trail #4 you can find four of these poems, and by going to the boat launch, you can find the fifth. Poets include: Joyce Brinkman, Ruthelen Burns, Mitchell L.H. Douglas, Kevin McKelvey, and myself. On the other side of each poem is scientific information about the featured
plant or animal. Pictured below: Joyce, Kevin, and me.
Exploring Science Through Poetry
riverwritings.com/
River Writings is a collaborative project of the daVinci Pursuit, former Poet Laureate Joyce Brinkman, and the Indiana Arts Commissions' Arts in the Parks program. This project "focuses on our rivers using the artistry of the poet to engage people in exploring the science of our waterways. The health of our rivers impacts the health of the aquatic life in them and the health of the communities in the watershed."
I was one of five poets asked to write a poem about some aspect of plant or animal life along the river at Tippecanoe River State Park. By walking Trail #4 you can find four of these poems, and by going to the boat launch, you can find the fifth. Poets include: Joyce Brinkman, Ruthelen Burns, Mitchell L.H. Douglas, Kevin McKelvey, and myself. On the other side of each poem is scientific information about the featured
plant or animal. Pictured below: Joyce, Kevin, and me.
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Joyce Brinkman talks about writing her poem about a great blue heron.
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Kevin McKelvey reads his poem celebrating mussels.
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I'm standing by "Spatterdock," a poem inspired by a Dakota legend about this beautiful water lily.
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Wild Sunflowers at Prophetstown State Park in Tippecanoe County
"We come and go, but the land is always here. And the people who love it and
understand it are the people who own it--for a little while."
--Willa Cather
The Children of Indiana Nature Park
I'm enjoying the process of helping Indiana children connect to nature through poetry . . .
and to poetry through nature. It's a reciprocal process! Click here to learn about a creative Indiana Bicentennial program sponsored by the Indiana Nature Conservancy.
This year (as in last) I'd like to encourage each poet in Indiana to spend time helping at least one Hoosier child write a poem inspired by a walk outside or close observation of some object from nature--such as a geode or goose feather or buckeye. You will be amazed by the similes and metaphors children create! Their imagination will spark yours.
understand it are the people who own it--for a little while."
--Willa Cather
The Children of Indiana Nature Park
I'm enjoying the process of helping Indiana children connect to nature through poetry . . .
and to poetry through nature. It's a reciprocal process! Click here to learn about a creative Indiana Bicentennial program sponsored by the Indiana Nature Conservancy.
This year (as in last) I'd like to encourage each poet in Indiana to spend time helping at least one Hoosier child write a poem inspired by a walk outside or close observation of some object from nature--such as a geode or goose feather or buckeye. You will be amazed by the similes and metaphors children create! Their imagination will spark yours.