WESTFIELD-A unique “trail” will weave its way through the downtown in April – encouraging poets and writers to compose poems from works of art by local artists.
ArtWorks of Westfield, Inc., is hosting its Images & Words Poetry Contest to celebrate National Poetry Month in April along a “Westfield Poetry Trail.”
“ArtWorks, in conjunction with local visual artists and downtown merchants, is hosting the contest,” said Bill Westerlind, president of ArtWorks. ArtWorks is a local arts and cultural organization promoting the “rich and talented artistic diversity” of Westfield and the surrounding communities.
Pieces of visual art, donated by local artists, will be on display during April at Blue Umbrella Books, Circuit Coffee, Two Rivers Burrito, Mama Cakes, Blended Vintage Marketplace and the Skyline Trading Company. Each location represents a display station along the Westfield Poetry Trail.
“Poets and writers are invited to visit each station along the trail and compose a poem they feel best reflects the emotions of the piece or best works with the artwork on display at each station,” said Westerlind.
Entries should be dropped off at the location of each piece of artwork along the poetry trail. The final day to submit entries is April 30. The artists who created and donated each individual piece of art will select the winning poem and the author of that poem will win the artwork, according to Westerlind.
Winners will be notified by May 12 and an artist and poet reception will be conducted later in May to announce the winners, award the pieces of art and read the winning poems.
The trail begins at Blue Umbrella Books with a 8”x10” canvas piece titled “Butterfly with Daisy” by Westfield photographer Christopher Lyons. The second display station is at Circuit Coffee featuring “Too much for a Hailku” by Paint & Poetry founder Denise Fountaine-Pincince. The third station is Two Rivers Burrito hosting a 20”x24” acrylic on canvas called “Curious” by Westfield artist Joli Hamilton. Mama Cakes is the fourth station showing “Time Stands Still in Tuscany,” an 8”x10” image by Westfield photographer Susan Williams. Southwick artist Anusha
Sekhar will display her work titled “Newton’s Apple” at the Blended Vintage Marketplace, and station six at the Skyline Trading Company will host an 11”x14” piece titled “Future Reflection” by Westfield scratch artist Donna Carmel.
Westerlind noted that all poetry entries must be original and unpublished, and all entries must be submitted at the participating location displaying each work of art.
“Each unique poetry entry can be submitted once during the contest,” said Westerlind, adding the same poem cannot be submitted at multiple display stations.
Each entry must include the person’s name, e-mail, phone number, mailing address, and title of the poem being submitted.
“Contestants are invited to visit each station along the Westfield Poetry Trail, view the artwork and write a poem,” said Westerlind.
National Poetry Month, inaugurated by the Academy of American Poets in 1996, is the largest literary celebration in the world, noted Westerlind.
