Poetry in the Gardens - Lakewold Gardens

Lakewold Gardens is pleased to host Winter Poetry in the Gardens again in 2025.

Saturday, Feb. 22 at Lakewold Gardens

Join us as we celebrate the poets whose work has been selected to be included in the 2025 Poetry in the Garden audio tour. Your $15 ticket includes admission to the gardens. Complimentary non-alcoholic beverages will be available.

PURCHASE TICKETS HERE

Schedule:

10:30am-12:30pm ~ Workshop with Sarah A. Chavez ($5)

Join author, poet, and UW Tacoma professor Sarah A. Chavez for the workshop Eating Present Through the Past: Food Writing Towards Connection. Food and eating practices represent not only nourishment for the body, but also metaphor and sensory memory of a moment. This workshop will be a joyful exploration of food writing (or writing about food) and the ways in which eating/prepping/baking/cooking/recipe learning/abstaining and writing go hand-in-hand.

Food traditions, whether passed down from ancestors, created a year ago with friends, or as personal ritual help us not only be on a path toward whatever our version of health and happiness is, but it also acts as a bridge to be in relationship. Together we will discuss a bit about the role food plays in our lives, then work through a few writing exercises that will guide us toward meditation on the myriad ways in which food connects us to community. Participants should bring pen and paper with them. Light refreshments will be available to accompany the writing process.

"After a full belly, all is poetry." -- Frank McCourt

12:30pm ~ 1:30pm Lunch on your own

Bring a picnic to enjoy at the Gardens or visit one of the many restaurants in Lakewood. You can take the time to walk the grounds if you wish.

1:30 -4 pm ~ 2025 Call to Poets Winners and open mic

Our selected poets will share their work, followed by a Q&A session. Plus, an open mic session for all attendees that will round out the day. Bring your poetry!

Call to Poets

Lakewold Gardens invites poets in Washington State to submit their work to be featured on Saturday, February 22, 2025, during its annual Winter Garden Poetry event.

A 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Lakewold Gardens is a historically recognized garden estate in Lakewood, WA. Its mission is to provide intentional encounters with the life-changing power of nature, fostering peace, creativity, and healing in our communities.

We are looking for original, unpublished poems of up to approximately 1,000 words (or roughly no more than five minutes in duration when read aloud) with a theme celebrating nature and/or gardens.

Poets of all backgrounds and ages are invited to participate. Participants must be Washington State residents and have the ability to be present onsite to record their poems and have headshot photos taken during the week of Feb. 10. Poets who identify with or are part of traditionally underrepresented communities are strongly encouraged to apply.

Up to ten participants will be selected to be featured at the February 22 event. Selected participants will have their poems recorded and will receive a professional headshot. These recordings will be accessible via our website and signs placed throughout Lakewold Gardens’ grounds from February to September. A cash prize of $500 will be offered to the first-place winner, $400 to the second-place winner, and $300 to the third-place winner.

Submissions will be blindly evaluated by a panel comprised of outside experts. Lakewold Gardens’ Curator of Art and Music will serve as a moderating, non-voting member of the panel. Only one entry of a single poem per poet is permitted. Winners of the previous year’s Call to Poets are excluded from participation for one year.

APPLY NOW

Application Deadline: January 17, 2025. Selected applicants will be notified by February 1, 2025.

Please direct questions to: rdelatorre@lakewoldgardens.org