Notes From Our Workshop: How Elizabeth Robin is bringing poetry into public spaces
by Della Watson
On September 15, DKW Productions and the Poetry Society of South Carolina hosted a workshop on the topic of poetry trails. Here's what we learned:
Elizabeth Robin is a poetic powerhouse and the driving force behind the Hilton Head Poetry Trail. After attending a series local book fairs, Robin noticed that poets seemed to lack the exposure (and book sales) that other types of writers enjoyed. The children's book authors were selling boxes of books and the poets were lucky to sell three copies.
Robin was not deterred by this state of affairs; instead she was inspired. If people weren't coming to poetry, she'd bring poetry to them. She developed an idea to create poetry outposts throughout the island. With her team of collaborators, she constructed metal Poetry Trails signs with QR codes, so visitors can scan the sign to read or listen to a poem from a local poet. Rule number one: No gates. Every single stop on the Poetry Trail is fully accessible to the public. "[I wanted to] change the way people look at public spaces," she says.
The results of the project are astonishing. By using dynamic QR code technology, Robin is able to provide the data that prove the Trail's success. Since August 2023, the 23-site Poetry Trail has received 10,325 visits. People from 17 countries and 41 states plus the District of Columbia have scanned the signs.
Though the trail seemed like an overnight success -- the first poet received over 1,000 reads in their first month as a Poetry Trail participant -- Robin says she was "laying the groundwork" for years. "I don't make enemies," she says. "I just make friends. I recruit everybody. I have no skill, but I know who does." (We beg to differ on the "have no skill" point.)
The Hilton Head Poetry Trail has a diverse offering of outposts, with poems placed in local parks, historic sites, local restaurants, the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra, the Gullah Museum of Hilton Head Island, and Beautiful Island Square, a local heirs property business featuring Gullah-Geechee-owned vendors and a food truck park.
"It's an experience," says Robin of the Hilton Head Poetry Trail. "[You can] experience and see your town in new ways."
Ready to start your own poetry trail? Here are the six things you need to get started:
1. A poetry network
Attend local poetry readings and open mics, join writers' groups and literary organizations to get to know the poets in your town.
2. Art support
"What's there?" Robin suggests asking that question, then looking for art co-op buildings, galleries, and "places that are crafting and doing artsy things."
3. A tech expert
Robin's friend Bill Schmitt came up with the idea of using QR codes for the signs and he had to expertise to manage that aspect of the project.
4. An Administrator
This person can handle the poetry acquisition, guide poets through the process, and has the organizational skills to keep key point people connected and informed.
5. Funding
Look for grants and local sponsors who can help get the project off the ground. For the Hilton Head Poetry Trail, the Island Writers Network funded the QR codes, which cost about $35 per month. Sharing the number of visitors the poetry spots receive with potential sponsors and collaborators can help encourage people to support the project. "Take the easy route to get it started, then show the data," says Robin. "You can always grow."
6. Publicity
"Start with a circle where you live," Robin suggests. "Then expand, expand." Robin was able to get news coverage of the Hilton Head Poetry Trail from the island's local magazines as well as the local TV station and the Chamber of Commerce's podcast.