New Poetry Trail designed to engage public in literary art

By Edwina Hoyle CONTRIBUTOR

To mark April as National Poetry Month, Lowcountry residents and tourists will be introduced to a new Poetry Trail on Hilton Head Island.

It is a collaboration between the Town of Hilton Head Island’s Office of Cultural Affairs and the Island Writers Network (IWN). The Poetry Trail is a way to celebrate poetry and engage people in literary activity.

Elizabeth Robin of Hilton Head, a published poet, spearheaded the initiative through the Island Writers Network. She was inspired by O Miami in Florida, where the organization brings poetry into public spaces to broadcast poetry, engage people in a literary community, and create intimate experiences that encourage cultural exchange.

For example, Robin said, they hid poems inside conch shells and put them all over town, they stuck poetry on gas pumps and painted poems on rooftops. They hung poetry on buses, and even used rain paint to showcase poetry on sidewalks.

“The question, ‘how can we do something here?’ kept percolating in my head,” Robin said.

So, she met with Natalie Harvey, director of the Office of Cultural Affairs.

“Our office can pull artists and projects together for public art,” Harvey said.

“This is exciting. We have a great arts and culture environment and the Island Writers Network took the ball and ran with it.”

The Poetry Trail is a marriage of technology, creative writing, public art and businesses, and will showcase a new way to experience this corner of paradise: through the eyes of local poets.

Bill Schmidt, a volunteer with the Arts Council of Hilton Head, is the technology guru and idea man on the project. He came up with the idea of using interactive technology in the form of QR codes, and developed the logo, the sign design, and the Facebook page.

Fifteen sculptures and nearly 10 businesses await their signs to kick off National Poetry Month. Sites include seven signs in and around Shelter Cove and the Veterans Memorial area, Red Fish, Tio’s, the Beach House, Sea Turtle Marketplace, Rollers Wine & Spirits, and more.

Along the trail are easy-to-find signs containing two QR codes. One code takes you to a poem written by a local poet and a short bio. The other code takes you to the Facebook page, where users can find the entire route, plan a full tour, comment on the poem, the art, or the business visited along the way. Every time a sign is scanned, the Harvey’s office will track the traffic and key data that helps direct new projects.

“It’s a clever way to bring poems to the public and make it alive,” Robin said. “Poetry speaks to us in an immediate way. The signs will showcase art in real

Please see POETRY on page 22A

W.O.W. A Social Group for Widows or Widowers

This organization was founded in 2002 to help those who have lost a spouse move on with their lives, by forging new friendships with others while enjoying the group’s social, athletic, and cultural activities. Meetings are held bi-monthly at the Hilton Head Library on Beach City Road, at which time activities are planned for the following two months.

The communities of Hilton Head Island and Bluffton include many people who have moved here from other places leaving behind life-long friends and relatives, making it even more difficult to remain active after losing a spouse. W.O.W. aims to provide the support and fellowship needed to “pick up the pieces” and get on with a fulfilling life.

For more information please contact Steve Strandmark at 812-599-2025 or sstrandmark7@gmail.com or Anne Richter at 843-802-0228 or abr711@aol.com

We look forward to hearing from you and welcoming you to one of our upcoming events!