Poetry’s afoot: Wandering Words contest seeks local poets
by Margaret Hurlbert
March 27, 2023

MUSCATINE, Iowa–Though April showers may bring May flowers, it also brings National Poetry Month and the Muscatine County Arts Council’s annual Wandering Words poetry contest. Now in its eighth year, the contest seeks all Muscatine County poets to share their works with the possibility of having them publicly displayed in the sidewalk at one of Muscatine’s notable locations.

Because National Poetry Month seeks to bring poetry to all people, the Muscatine County Arts Council invites Muscatine County residents of all ages and experience levels to submit poems to Wandering Words. Writers wanting to enter may submit up to two poems no longer than eight lines long (title lines count as two lines to account for proper spacing) with no more than 25 characters per line, including punctuation and spaces. Poems should appeal to people of all ages without  political, religious, or explicit content. Entrants must type up their poems on individual pages without their names or contact information on them. Writers should however include a cover page with their name, address, email address, phone number, and the title or first line of each of their poems so that judges can contact them if they choose them as one of this year’s five winners. Anyone wanting to contribute poems must mail them to the Muscatine County Arts Council at PO Box 815 Muscatine, IA 52761 or email them to the Arts Council by April 30.

As the Arts Council has done in year’s past, they will work with various sites across Muscatine to etch the winning poems in high traffic areas so that people can enjoy them as they go about their day. Last year, the Council had the winning poems placed at Contrary Brewing Company, the Muscatine Soccer Complex, and the Muscatine Community Y. They will announce this year’s locations after they announce the winners.

A previous year’s Wandering Words poem etched into the sidewalk in front of the old Hotel Muscatine. Photo by Margaret Hurlbert.

An opportunity for poets, aspiring and veteran, to have their works displayed in an enduring way, Muscatine County Arts Council Member Ed Chamberlin encourages anyone with an enjoyment of poetry to enter this contest: “I feel that is a great opportunity for a local poet of any age to have their works displayed in public. The thought of have you poem etched in concrete for all to see I think is pretty rewarding.”

Chamberlin also takes pride in the way that Wandering Words makes poetry accessible to everyone who visits Muscatine. “I find it pleasurable to drive in the downtown area and see people taking time to read these works–just another way to keep the arts alive in our community,” he observed.

With National Poetry Month just getting underway, Chamberlin and everyone on the Muscatine County Arts Council feels excited about the prospect of publishing more local poets in a very public way. “We have a great turnout over the past years, and we are looking forward to seeing this year’s entries.”

Recent Stories

Recent Shows

Get Discover Muscatine in Your Inbox

Select list(s):
en_USEnglish