Arts and Entertainment

Nominate, submit a poem to honor Alaska State Parks

The Alaska Center for the Book in conjunction with Alaska State parks and a committee of Alaska writers is accepting poetry submissions until March 15 for an ongoing project to celebrate Alaska's many state parks through the written word.

The project is called Poems in Place, and it aims to establish permanent signs displaying selected poetry in Alaska state parks.

"Poetry that celebrates Alaska's natural environment – whether it's an alpine valley or a tidal cove – can have a positive, powerful impact on visitors and Alaska residents," said Claire LeClair, deputy director of Alaska State Parks.

The first official Poems in Place Project poem, "What Whales and Infants Know," by Kim Cornwall, was installed in 2011 with support from Homer writer Wendy Erd, Alaska State Parks, and the Alaska State Council on the Arts. The poem was placed at Chugach State Park's Beluga Point near the Seward Highway south of Anchorage.

The Poems in Place Project is soliciting work for two state parks: Totem Bight State Historical Park in Ketchikan and the Chena River State Recreation Area north of Fairbanks. Alaskans wishing to contribute to this community-building project are asked to submit work, no more than three poems per person, or nominate an Alaska poet or poems.

The Poems in Place project is supported by Alaska State Council on the Arts, the Alaska Humanities Forum, the Usibelli Foundation, the Alaska Poetry League, Alaska Center for the Book, and numerous generous individuals. Read more for rules, regulations and how and where to submitt work and nominations.

Craig Medred

Craig Medred is a former writer for the Anchorage Daily News, Alaska Dispatch and Alaska Dispatch News. He left the ADN in 2015.

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