In Charlotte, the writing is on the wall—literally.
The Wall Poems of Charlotte is a poetry initiative founded in April of this year. The goal? To create murals that “bring poetry to the people, all of whom deserve access to it and to whom it belongs.”
The murals, designed by students in the Advertising and Graphic Design program at Central Piedmont Community College, feature North Carolina poets. Poems by North Carolina Literary Hall of Fame inductee A.R. Ammons and Jon Pineda have already been showcased at the Dandelion Market and the Treloar House, respectively.
In a May interview with the Charlotte Observer, Kenn Compton, who works on the project’s advisory board, said, “The most exciting aspect of this project is to see the students connect with poetry, with working on a large scale, with working on something that is both very real and so much bigger than themselves.â€
And director Amy Bagwell believes the project embodies her core philosophy, to “bring poetry to as many people as possible through accessible and democratic presentation.”
The Wall Poems of Charlotte is one of several public displays of poetry happening across North Carolina, including Raleigh’s “Poetry on the Bus,” spearheaded by The Raleigh Review, and Winston-Salem’s “Poetry in Plain Sight,” sponsored by Barnhill’s Books, Press 53, and the Winston-Salem Writers.
For more information on The Wall Poems of Charlotte, visit www.thewallpoemsofcharlotte.com.