Poetry in the Parks

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As a poetry and literary arts ambassador for Fairfax County, Poet Laureate Danielle Badra launches
“Poetry in the Parks” in close partnership with ArtsFairfax and Fairfax County Park Authority (FCPA).

Fairfax Poet Laureate Danielle Badra shares Mary Oliver’s “The Summer Day” at Ellanor C. Lawrence Park, a “Poetry in the Parks” destination.

“Through poetry workshops, readings, and activities in the Parks, I want to illuminate how language and our natural environment can be a source of comfort and creativity. I derive a great deal of my poetic inspiration from nature and it is my hope to impart this same inspiration to the people of Fairfax County.”

-Danielle Badra

Poetry in the Parks Programming

Now in its second year, Fairfax County Poet Laureate Danielle Badra invites area poets and parkgoers to consider the relationship between nature and poetry. By hosting a mix of guest poets and park employees to share their work in a natural setting that is at once intimate and expansive, Badra hopes to inspire park attendees to reflect on the environment around them and engage in reading, listening to, and writing poetry.

 

 

National Poetry Month Poetry Reading
Green Spring Gardens
Saturday, April 27, 2024
1:00-2:30 PM 

Come celebrate the “Poetry in the Parks” community engagement series, starting with a free poetry reading held during National Poetry Month. Hosted by ArtsFairfax and the Fairfax Poet Laureate, the fifth event in the series will feature the poetry of prominent writers from the greater Virginia region.  Register Here 

 

In the foreground a person in a striped shirt sits on a field of grass. They are bent over writing in a notebook with an amber glow from a booklight. In the background are several glowing amber lights where other writers sit. You can see the outline of a forest of trees in the background.Poetry Beneath the Stars
Turner Farm Park
Saturday, May 4, 2024
7:30-8:30 PM 

Have you ever found yourself gazing at the stars and wonder, where do I fit in to this great expanse? How was this most magnificent artwork created? Fairfax Poet Laureate 2022-24 Danielle Badra invites stargazers to contemplate the cosmos through poetic form. Attendees will be provided with examples of star-gazing poetry and then given writing prompts to generate poems of their own. This event will include a telescope viewing in the Roll Top Observatory, weather permitting. Register Here 

 

A dozen people sit at a picnic bench under a covered space at a public park. A the head of the table is a nonbinary speaker with short black hair wearing an olive colored shirt.Pride Month Poetry Reading
Green Spring Gardens
Saturday, June 1, 2024
1:00-2:30 PM 

June is Pride Month, celebrated each year to honor the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in New York City, which launched the queer liberation movement in the United States. Featuring some of the region’s most prominent LGBTQ+ poets, this reading lifts up a variety of voices and experiences to honor the rich legacy and contributions of poetry and poetry in the queer community. Save the date and stay tuned for registration information! 

 

In the foreground a person in a striped shirt sits on a field of grass. They are bent over writing in a notebook with an amber glow from a booklight. In the background are several glowing amber lights where other writers sit. You can see the outline of a forest of trees in the background.Poetry Beneath the Stars
Turner Farm Park
Saturday, August 17, 2024
7:30-8:30 PM 

Have you ever found yourself gazing at the stars and wonder, where do I fit in to this great expanse? How was this most magnificent artwork created? Fairfax Poet Laureate 2022-24 Danielle Badra invites stargazers to contemplate the cosmos through poetic form. Attendees will be provided with examples of star-gazing poetry and then given writing prompts to generate poems of their own. This event will include a telescope viewing in the Roll Top Observatory, weather permitting. Save the date and stay tuned for registration information! 

As with all Fairfax County Park Authority programs, Poetry in the Parks is designed with accessibility in mind for visitors with disabilities. 

Poetry in the Parks is made possible in part by Fairfax County, Virginia Commission for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, Virginia Humanities, and the Dimick Foundation.

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