Poetry read alone from a book indoors is one kind of experience. Hearing poetry recited aloud in a classroom or an auditorium is another kind of experience. And encountering poetry outside under the open sky, surrounded by the sensations of the living earth, birds calling, the buzzing of insects, perhaps a leaf blown across the words or shadows moved by the wind over the lines, grasses rustling in the sun, the sound of a creek nearby—this is another way of meeting and experiencing poetry. Collected here are the descriptions of five trails along which poetry appears at locations specifically designed for their enjoyment. Each trail is unique. Each came into being in a different way in a different region of the United States. Along these trails, people, poetry, and the earth meet, reflect, and enhance one another. This concert is an art unlike any other. – Pattiann Rogers

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