My Poet Laureate civic project SHARING TREE SPACE involves partnering with Hot Springs National Park rangers, interpreters, and scientists, as well as local young adult mentor poets, to lead BIPOC and LGBTQ+ high school students on educational wonder hikes focusing on specific natural world elements and writing poetry in the wild with them. The mission of this project is to engage them with the natural world, to facilitate community, and for marginalized youth to be seen, respected, held, and heard in their own personal authentic voices and valid experiences, thus combating societal and legislative erasures.

SHARING TREE SPACE combines my passion for holding safe space for marginalized youth, with my knowledge and enthusiasm for the natural world. It creates a space for BIPOC and LGBTQ+ teens to be their authentic selves in a supportive, creative, and warm generative writing environment. Park rangers and I will give educational information and enrich the youth’s knowledge on a specific natural element or wonder that is the topic for each workshop. Each session will have a different natural theme, a hike, a different ranger/expert and mentors in accompaniment. Upon completion, SHARING TREE SPACE youth will receive a stipend, feature together at Wednesday Night Poetry, and an anthology of their poems will be published by an Arkansas publisher.

Four cohorts of 15 teens will be chosen over the next four seasons.

Fall 2024 wonder hike dates and times:

October 7th, 2024 ~ 3:30-6:30pm (Hot Springs Geothermal Waters / Geology)

October 28th, 2024 ~ 3:30-6:30pm (The Green World - trees, plants, flowers, mosses, lichen, fungi)

November 11th, 2024 ~ 3:00 - 6:00pm (More than Human - mammals, birds, insects)

December 9th, 2024 ~ 3:00-6:00pm (Archeology)

This project is made possible by generous funding from the Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellowship and the Mellon Foundation, as well as community partner support from Dr. Margo McGehee-Kelly.

Deep gratitude to the amazing folks at Hot Springs National Park.

Special thanks to statewide agency partners for providing field guide resources to go into the SHARING TREE SPACE hiking bags each teen will receive. Thank you to the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission for the Arkansas Backyard Birds and Arkansas Snake Guide books. Thank you to the Arkansas Department of Transportation for the Wildflowers of Arkansas and eco-regions brochures.  Thank you to Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission for the amazing carabiners. Let's go on a hike!