Nanaimo launches a poetry trail that invites people to write poems outdoors

[AustinTheory15]

A Canadian city is inviting people to pause and write poetry in nature. Nanaimo News Bulletin reports that Nanaimo's poet laureate Neil Surkan and the City of Nanaimo are putting poetry prompts on viewfinder posts that frame the landscape

QR codes on the posts let the public send in their own poems. The first three sites are the Queen Elizabeth Promenade, a 500 metre waterfront path, McGregor Park and Bing Kee Food Forest, with more planned in the north of the city

One example prompt asks people to write a poem that plants a seed of gratitude, protest or grief, and to think about what will grow from it. Surkan said poetry makes space for resilience, surviving and persisting

Adrienne Mercer Breen, the city's manager of culture and special events, said the trail aims to create moments of pause and reflection. Surkan's next collection is called Empties

Pairing a view with a prompt is a gentle way to get people writing who might never pick up a poetry book. Framing the landscape encourages people to look more closely at places they pass every day. Ideas like this could work in parks anywhere

Would you write a poem on a trail like this? And which local spot would you choose for a poetry prompt?

Nanaimo's Poetry Trail to be launched this fall - Nanaimo News Bulletinnanaimobulletin.com

[Oscar_57]

Choosing a food forest as a poetry site is perfect. Growth, seasons and harvest are all great themes. Poets will love it

The setting inspires itself. Nature writing suits these spaces