The city of Appleton recently announced the winners of this year’s sidewalk poetry contest, a decade-long tradition that invites residents to submit poems that will adorn the city’s walkways for years to come.
Started in 2014, Appleton’s Sidewalk Poetry Program was inspired by a similar initiative in St. Paul, Minnesota. This year’s five selected poems will be stamped into concrete in sidewalk locations around the city, “adding a unique touch of art to our city streets,” according to the city’s website.
Peter Kotarba is adult services and engagement librarian at the Appleton Public Library, where he oversees the sidewalk poetry program. He told WPR’s “Wisconsin Today” that the contest is open to all residents of Appleton and students in the local school district. Each year, after a one-month submission window, library staff, poetry experts and enthusiasts, and community members review the poetry submissions and make the final selections.
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“We consider what is already on the sidewalk. We hope to have diverse voices and experiences. We also hope to have engaging poetry,” Kotarba said. For him, the goal is to offer “an opportunity for people to think, to pause, and to perhaps see the world a little differently.”
Jake Woodford, mayor of Appleton, told “Wisconsin Today” that he has similar aspirations for the program.
“It’s a nice thing to be out on a walk and find a poem on the sidewalk,” he said. “Every time I do, I pause. I read the poem, and I think about what it means to me that day while I’m walking.”
Woodford hopes that the sidewalk poems can be a “gateway into appreciating poetry” for people who might not have thought about or encountered a poem in a long time. And for the poets, it’s a unique opportunity to share their talents and make their mark on the city.
“There’s something about your work — your words — being stamped into concrete, really set in stone in the community, that’s deeply meaningful to the people who submit poems,” he said.
Appleton’s first poet laureate
Last year, Woodford announced that the city would be starting a poet laureate program, with longtime Appleton resident Cathryn Cofell as the inaugural poet laureate.
“It seemed fitting to me that Appleton should have a local poet laureate because we are actually the hometown to Wisconsin’s first state poet laureate, Ellen Kort, and so we have a long and deep connection to poetry in the city,” Woodford said.
Cofell, who has written seven books of poetry, recently started her two-year term, which involves writing original poems for city events, collaborating with the library and other organizations on arts programming, and advocating for poetry and the arts in the community. She told “Wisconsin Today” that serving in this role has been an “incredible honor.”
“Appleton [has] been my home for many, many years, and I take my role very, very seriously, but in the best of ways,” she said.
Concrete trails, where moments meet
– Paulina Vera, the youngest winner of this year’s sidewalk poetry contest in Appleton
Every step, bittersweet
Laughter echoes, tears may fall
Sidewalks hold a piece of all
For one of her first tasks as poet laureate, Cofell wrote a “love letter” to Appleton filled with local references to things like “Christmas at Cleo’s,” “symphony and sidewalk poems,” and “Fox this and Fox that.”
Cofell believes in writing poetry that is “accessible on a first read” with layers that can be discovered upon deeper reading and reflection. She hopes that this can draw more people into reading and enjoying poetry, which can often get lost in the shuffle of everyday life.
“In difficult times or when we’re struggling financially, art seems to be the thing that we give up. But to me, it becomes even more important,” Cofell continued. “Art has done so much for my personal mental health and building connections and literacy.”
For anyone looking to bring programs like sidewalk poetry or a poet laureate to their community, Cofell recommended getting involved with the Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets, a nonprofit organization that supports the reading and writing of poetry and does outreach around the state.
As mayor, Woodford welcomed other community members or leaders around the state who have questions about arts programming to get in touch and learn how Appleton has implemented these programs. He believes it’s important for local leaders in Wisconsin to support arts and culture initiatives.
“We live in a state that ranks near the bottom when it comes to public investment in the arts,” he said. “As a local municipal leader, I see the tremendous value that arts and cultural expression play in maintaining a thriving community where people feel like they belong.”
An interactive map of Appleton’s sidewalk poetry is available here. This year’s winning poems are available to read and listen to on the library website.
