The Writing in Place Project
Writing as placemaking
This project explores writing inspired by a sense of place, and the act of writing as placemaking, an experience that connects us to where we are.
According to the fine folks at Springboard for the Arts, “Placemaking is the act of people coming together to change overlooked and undervalued public and shared spaces into welcoming places where community gathers, supports one another, and thrives. Places can be animated and enhanced by elements that encourage human interaction – from temporary activities such as performances and chalked poetry to permanent installations such as landscaping and unique art.”
Over the summer and fall of 2021, I explored writing in three of my favorite places in Keoxa/Winona, Minn.
Along the way, I hosted a pop-up writing booth where people could interact with the project, whether by reading my poems, writing their own work, or sharing ideas and stories with me.
The project concluded in October 2021 with a public reading at Windom Park in Winona. I invited guests and passersby to interact with the poems from the project. Then I read a few of my favorites, and facilitated a warm conversation about the places we love.
Find out more about the project below.
This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Southeastern Minnesota Arts Council thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts & cultural heritage fund.
