The Magical Mashup of National Parks and a Nobel Laureate’s Poetry

Ada Limón, the current US poet laureate, is teaming up with the U.S. National Park Service and the Poetry Society of America to put two things that inarguably belong together into the same space. If you are a reader of poetry, you already know the transformative experience that can come from reading words woven with emotion. National Parks also inspire a sense of wonder and allow for deeper self-reflection.

The newly announced “You Are Here: Poetry in Parks” initiative will start with seven parks across America (see the list here), with installations to be unveiled in 2024 that will “transform park features like picnic tables into public art and poetry.” The timing is perfectly on trend too, as “viral workout trends” like silent walking gain attention and people seek out more quiet spaces where they can do better work, think bigger thoughts, and disconnect from distractions.