Aurora celebrates poetry month in April

When you are in downtown Aurora this month, keep your eyes open for posters displaying poetry in recognition of April as National Poetry Month.

A Celebration of Poetry in Public Places is a project of Cultural Creatives Inc., the nonprofit group responsible for the Aurora ArtWalk. It has collaborated with the city of Aurora and Aurora Downtown to produce a public display of poetry - specifically four city-owned kiosks located in downtown Aurora and at the Route 59 and Route 25 train stations, as well as additional locations throughout the city center, including the Terminal Building (Galena and Broadway), the Silverplate Building (Downer and Stolp), and 28 Downer Place.

The buildings are part of the Vacant Window Project sponsored by Aurora Downtown. Poetry placement was designed to be readily accessible to pedestrians.

The project was inspired by Poems on the Underground in London. Cultural Creatives and A-Town Poetics agreed the project would be well-received in Aurora.

Writers in the Fox Valley region were encouraged to submit original poetry, and jurors selected poems to be reproduced on seven posters. The writers selected for the display are Karen Fullett-Christensen, Aurora; Tricia Marcella Cimera, St. Charles; Sondra Sula, Aurora; Paula Garrett, Geneva; Kristin LaTour, Aurora; Margo Anderson, Aurora; Frank Patterson, Aurora.

For information on the project, to join A-Town Poetics, or to get information about submitting work for future poetry exhibitions, contact Karen Christensen at kfc16@sbcglobal.net.