You Are Here: Poetry in the Natural World/Poetry in Parks
“You Are Here” is my signature project as the 24th Poet Laureate of the United States. I believe the way we respond to this crucial moment on our planet could define humanity forever. In conceiving of the project, I wanted something that could both praise our sacred and natural wonders and also speak the complex truths of this urgent time. It’s my hope that “You Are Here” will do just that.
The project is comprised of two initiatives and a call-to-action. “You Are Here: Poetry in the Parks” features installations that aim to deepen our connection to nature through poetry, and the anthology “You Are Here: Poetry in the Natural World” speaks to the many different ways we are nature too. It may seem easier to surrender to the overwhelm of the world’s challenges right now, but I believe that singing out, offering something back to the earth, noticing our connection to the planet, could help us all move forward together in a powerful way.
This project is for everyone, and I hope people of all ages—poets and nonpoets—will feel moved to write their own response to the “You Are Here” prompt. It’s simple: What would you write in response to the landscape around you? You can share your response if you choose using the hashtag #youareherepoetry.
Above all, this project is about rising to this moment with hope, the kind of hope that will echo outwards for years to come.
Ada Limón
24th Poet Laureate of the United States
Poetry & Literature
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You Are Here: Poetry in Parks
An initiative with the National Park Service External and the Poetry Society of America External, “Poetry in Parks” will feature site-specific poetry installations in seven national parks across the country. These installations, which will transform picnic tables into works of public art, will each feature a historic American poem that connects in a meaningful way to the park. Limón will travel to each of the participating parks in 2024 to unveil and celebrate the new installations and support community outreach.
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“You Are Here: Poetry in the Natural World” Anthology
“You Are Here: Poetry in the Natural World,” will be published by Milkweed Editions in association with the Library of Congress on April 2. The anthology features a foreword by Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden, an introduction by Limón, and 50 original poems by living American poets, including former U.S. Poet Laureate Joy Harjo; Pulitzer Prize winners Jericho Brown, Carl Phillips and Diane Suess; and PEN/Voelcker Award winners Victoria Chang and Rigoberto González.