One northern Illinois city will give its community something to look forward to as they window shop this April.
The City of Aurora is asking Fox Valley writers to send their poems for possible placement in selected downtown storefronts.
This isn’t the first time the city has done this.
Tricia Whitworth has written poetry for over 20 years. She first participated in this poetry display in 2015.
“They always look gorgeous,” she said. “And it is very exciting, especially when you realize that people walked by and read it. And it might resonate with somebody, even if it's just one person. I've always felt like just one person is enough for me.”
Whitworth said this opportunity allows her work to get in front of people who aren’t exposed to the art.
“And they're not going to buy a poetry journal,” she said. “Our audience, you know, in poetry journals is other poets. So that's the cool part about something that's outside.”
These poetry posters will stay on display throughout National Poetry Month.
The theme is “Mentors.” Works will be reviewed by a jury. Poems must be original, no longer than 20 lines and should be submitted to Aurora Poet Laureate Karen Fullett-Christensen by March 1 at 5 p.m. Other submission guidelines can be found at auroradowntown.org.
- Yvonne Boose is a current corps member for Report for America, an initiative of the GroundTruth Project. It's a national service program that places talented journalists in local newsrooms like WNIJ. You can learn more about Report for America at wnij.org.
