Dedications Set for Poetry Paths
A passerby views a bench featuring Emily Dickinson’s poem I Dwell in Possibility near the main entrance to the Lancaster Public Library at 125 N. Duke St. The piece will be dedicated as part of Poetry Paths on March 2 at 5 p.m. (Photo courtesy of Philadelphia Alumni Writers House)
By Staff
Members of the Franklin & Marshall College and Lancaster communities will soon celebrate a pair of milestones for Poetry Paths, a project designed to forge new connections in the community by bringing poetry and art into people's daily lives.
The project was founded in 2009 by F&M's Philadelphia Alumni Writers House with a grant from the Lancaster County Community Foundation and receives ongoing support from the Office of the Provost.
On Friday, March 2, at 5 p.m., the Lancaster Public Library will host a dedication ceremony marking the installation of an artful bench featuring Emily Dickinson’s poem I Dwell in Possibility. Kerry Sherin Wright, director of Writers House, will speak at the ceremony along with several Franklin & Marshall students who led a creative writing workshop at the library last fall. U.S. Rep. Joe Pitts will also speak at the dedication, which takes place during Lancaster’s monthly First Friday festivities.
The bench, designed by artists from SALT Design Studio in Bala Cynwyd, is near the main entrance to the library at 125 N. Duke St. Two selection committees comprising leaders from the library and Lancaster communities chose the poetry and design.
The dedication of a second installation in Poetry Paths will take place at noon on Sunday, March 25, at the Bright Side Opportunities Center at 515 Hershey Ave. The piece features two texts: a section of scripture and a poem by Isiah Perry, a member of the center's youth group. Perry wrote the poem in 2010 during a Writers House-sponsored poetry workshop with nationally acclaimed poet Major Jackson.
Readers at the dedication will include the Rev. Louis A. Butcher ’65, Perry, and young writers from a poetry workshop held weekly at Bright Side and led by Franklin & Marshall students Micah Wood ’14, Kristen O’Sullivan ’13, and Alexia Tomlinson ’14. Peter Barber ’90, president and owner of Two Dudes Painting, and his team at Two Dudes oversaw the design, creation and installation of the project at Bright Side.
To learn more about Poetry Paths, visit the project’s website or see previous coverage in The Diplomat.
