We want your poems.

How often do you hear this?

Not often enough.

I’m co-curator of the Indian Creek Trail Poetry Walk, and it’s true — we want your poems!

The Poetry Walk project brings together two things I love: poetry in public and nature . . . along with community building, sense of place, and the power of creative expression.

Located in Hood River, Oregon (where I live), the Poetry Walk is a collection of poems dotted along the Indian Creek Trail. The urban walking trail traverses a town in the heart of the Columbia River Gorge that is situated along the convergence of two waterways: the Hood River spilling from Mount Hood, and the Columbia River dividing the states of Oregon and Washington.

The Poetry Walk features approximately 20 poems by local writers and is on display from April to September.

We’re now selecting poems for the 2027 Poetry Walk. Please consider sharing your poems with us.

Submission Guidelines:
• Open to poets who live, or have roots, in the Mid-Columbia River Gorge region

• Poems must be nature-themed and reflective of the culture, history, and character of the region

• Poems may not exceed 20 lines

• Submit up to three poems

There is no entry fee and previously published poems are acceptable.
Poems are chosen by a panel of judges in a blind jury process.

Submit poems as individual PDFs attached to a brief email to gorgepoetrywalk@gmail.com.

Each submission must include the poet’s name in the email but not on the poem document itself. Deadline for submissions is November 1, 2026.

The Poetry Walk is a collaboration of the Hood River County Library District and the Hood River Valley Parks and Recreation District.

To learn more, go to: hoodriverlibrary.org/poetry-walk