News Release

U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón to visit Cuyahoga Valley National Park as part of “You Are Here: Poetry in Parks” project

U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón.

Courtesy of Library of Congress

News Release Date: June 20, 2024

Contact: Jennie Vasarhelyi, 440-343-7352

Contact: Pamela Barnes, 440-241-5857

BRECKSVILLE, Ohio – On July 12 at 6 pm, Cuyahoga Valley National Park (CVNP) will host the 24th U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón for a special event.

Seven national parks, including Cuyahoga Valley National Park, were selected by Limón to be part of her signature project “You are Here: Poetry in Parks.” The initiative is a partnership between the National Park Service, Library of Congress, and the Poetry Society of America that features site-specific poetry installations in the parks. In each park, a picnic table transformed into a work of public art will be unveiled. Each table is inscribed with a historic American poem that relates to the park in a meaningful way.

While in CVNP, Limón will unveil a picnic table inscribed with Jean Valentine’s poem, “The valley”.

“'You Are Here: Poetry in the Parks' aims to deepen our connection to nature through poetry,” said Limón. “I believe the way we respond to this crucial moment on our planet could define humanity forever. In conceiving of my signature project, I wanted something that could both praise our sacred and natural wonders and also speak the complex truths of this urgent time. Above all, this project is about rising to this moment with hope, the kind of hope that will echo outwards for years to come.”

The project includes an invitation for public participation. The National Park Service and Limón hope people of all ages—poets and non-poets—will feel moved to write their own responses to the You Are Here prompt of “What would you write in response to the landscape around you?” People have the option to share their responses on social media using the hashtag #YouAreHerePoetry.

“Artists have been inspired by the Cuyahoga Valley for generations, said CVNP Superintendent Lisa Petit. “We are honored that Ada Limón has chosen CVNP to be part of her signature project, which will encourage people to continue the long tradition of celebrating the intersection of art and nature."

Throughout 2024, Limón will also visit Cape Cod National Seashore in Massachusetts, Mount Rainier National Park in Washington, Redwood National and State Parks in California, Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee, Everglades National Park in Florida, and Saguaro National Park in Arizona.

Limón was appointed as the 24th Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress on July 12, 2022, and was reappointed for a historic two-year second term on April 24, 2023. Limón’s second term will conclude in April 2025.

CVNP encompasses over 33,000 acres along the Cuyahoga River between Cleveland and Akron, Ohio. Managed by the National Park Service, CVNP combines cultural, historical, recreational, and natural resources in one setting. For more information, visit us at www.nps.gov/cuva, on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, or call 440-717-3890.

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