Edited by US Poet Laureate Ada Limón
You Are Here: Poetry in the Natural World
Published in association with the Library of Congress and edited by Ada Limón, the twenty-fourth Poet Laureate of the United States, a singular collection of fifty poems reflecting on our relationship to the natural world by our most celebrated writers.
“With poems written for vast and inspiring vistas to poems acknowledging the green spaces that flourish even in the most urban of settings, this anthology hopes to reimagine what ‘nature poetry’ is during this urgent moment on our planet.”—Ada Limón
‘You Are Here’ with Ada Limón: Introduction
- Event
Virtual: You Are Here: Poetry in Parks, Launch Event Livestream
, —Join 24th U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón for the national kick off of “You Are Here: Poetry in Parks.” This initiative will feature site-specific poetry installations in seven national parks across the country, beginning with the Cape Cod National Seashore. During the free public celebration at the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, Ada Limón will read each poem featured as part of the project. She will then sign copies of the new anthology You Are Here: Poetry in the National World.
You Are Here: Poetry in Parks is a partnership between the Library of Congress, National Park Service, and…
- Event
You Are Here: Poetry in Parks, Cape Cod National Seashore
Provincetown, MA —On June 14 at 10 a.m., the public is invited to join Ada Limón for the National Parks Service “Poetry in Parks” unveiling at the trailhead, followed by a short, guided hike on the Beech Forest Trail. This event is open to the public.
U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón will unveil a picnic table with an overlay featuring Mary Oliver’s poem “Can You Imagine?” at the trailhead of the Beech Forest Trail. Oliver was a Pulitzer Prize-winning poet who lived in the Provincetown area for more than 50 years. Oliver was known for her nature poetry and Beech Forest was a special respite for her.
Seven national…
- Event
You Are Here: Poetry in Parks, Mount Rainier National Park
Ashford, WA —On June 21 at 5 p.m., the public is invited to join Ada Limón for the National Parks Service “Poetry in Parks” unveiling. This event is open to the public.
U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón will unveil a picnic table with an overlay featuring “Uppermost” by A. R. Ammons.
Seven national parks, including Mount Rainier National Park, were selected by Limón to be part of her signature project “You are Here: Poetry in Parks.” The initiative is a partnership with the Library of Congress, the National Park Service, and the Poetry Society of America that features site-specific poetry installations in the…
- Event
You Are Here: Poetry in Parks, Redwood National and State Parks
Crescent City, CA —Please join us for the unveiling of the “You Are Here” poetry project with U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón and National Parks Service.
You are invited to a special event celebrating poetry and nature at Crescent Beach Picnic Area!
Ada Limón, the nation’s 24th Poet Laureate, will launch her new art installation project, created in partnership with the Library of Congress, the Poetry Society of America, and the National Park Service. “You Are Here” transforms American poems into works of public art which will be installed in parks across the country. This location features “Never Alone” by Francisco…
- Event
You Are Here: Poetry in Parks, Cuyahoga Valley National Park
Peninsula, OH —On July 12 at 6 p.m., the public is invited to join Ada Limón for the National Parks Service “Poetry in Parks” unveiling. This event is open to the public.
U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón will unveil a picnic table with an overlay featuring “The valley” by Jean Valentine.
Seven national parks, including Cuyahoga Valley National Park, were selected by Limón to be part of her signature project “You are Here: Poetry in Parks.” The initiative is a partnership with the Library of Congress, the National Park Service, and the Poetry Society of America that features site-specific poetry installations in…
- Event
You Are Here: Poetry in Parks, Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Cherokee, NC —On July 20 at 12 p.m., the public is invited to join Ada Limón for the National Parks Service “Poetry in Parks” unveiling. This event is open to the public.
This special event will feature the unveiling of a special picnic table featuring “the earth is a living thing” by Lucille Clifton, a nature-themed poem selected by U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón for this location. After the unveiling, join park staff and partners for fun family activities that connect park science and culture to art.
Drop in—formal program 12–12:30 p.m. and informal stations 1–3 p.m.
Seven national parks, including Great Smoky…
- Event
CANCELLED DUE TO WEATHER: You Are Here: Poetry in Parks, Everglades National Park
Homestead, FL —THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED DUE TO WEATHER
On October 8 at 3 p.m., the public is invited to join Ada Limón for the National Parks Service “Poetry in Parks” unveiling. This event is open to the public.
U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón will unveil a picnic table with an overlay featuring the poem “Ecology” by June Jordan.
Seven national parks, including Cape Cod National Seashore, were selected by Limón to be part of her signature project “You are Here: Poetry in Parks.” The initiative is a partnership with the Library of Congress, the National Park Service, and the Poetry Society of America that…
- Event
You Are Here: Poetry in Parks, Saguaro National Park
Tucson, AZ —On December 3 at 1 p.m., the public is invited to join Ada Limón for the National Parks Service “Poetry in Parks” unveiling. This event is open to the public.
U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón will unveil a picnic table with an overlay featuring the poem “Na:nko Ma:s Cewagĭ / Cloud Song” by Ofelia Zepeda.
Seven national parks, including Cape Cod National Seashore, were selected by Limón to be part of her signature project “You are Here: Poetry in Parks.” The initiative is a partnership with the Library of Congress, the National Park Service, and the Poetry Society of America that features site…
Excerpts, Interviews, and Reviews
-
Read select poems from the anthology
“Reasons to Live” by Ruth Awad as featured in The Atlantic
“We Love in the Only Ways We Can” by Carl Phillips as featured in The Atlantic
“Aerial View” By Jericho Brown as featured in The New Yorker
“You Belong to the World” by Carrie Fountain as featured in The New Yorker
“Eat” by Joy Harjo as featured in The New Yorker
“Nature, Which Cannot Be Driven To” by Diane Seuss as featured in The Atlantic
“Walking the Land” by Paul Guest as featured in The Nation
“Remembering a honeymoon hike near Drakes Bay, California, while I cook our dinner at the feet of Colorado’s Front Range” by Camille T. Dungy as featured in The Nation
-
“US Poet Laureate Ada Limon is publishing a new anthology of 50 poems by contemporary poets.”
Learn more about the book cover design via Literary Hub
-
“Poet Laureate Ada Limón hopes to help people commune with nature in new project”
Listen to Ada Limón discuss the project on NPR’s “All Things Considered”
-
“Whoever you are, you will find yourself and your own world in the expansiveness of this collection.”
Margaret Renkl’s New York Times piece on U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón’s You Are Here and the power of poetry to help us all save the planet.
About Ada Limón
Ada Limón is the twenty-fourth US Poet Laureate and the author of The Hurting Kind, as well as five other collections of poems. These include The Carrying, which won the National Book Critics Circle Award and was named a finalist for the PEN/Jean Stein Book Award, and Bright Dead Things, which was named a finalist for the National Book Award, the National Book Critics Circle Award, and the Kingsley Tufts Award. Limón is a recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, and her work has appeared in the New Yorker, the New York Times, and American Poetry Review, among others. Born and raised in California, she now lives in Lexington, Kentucky.
National Park Service and the Poetry Society of America
You Are Here: Poetry in Parks
You Are Here: Poetry in Parks
In June, Limón will launch “You Are Here: Poetry in Parks,” an initiative with the National Park Service and the Poetry Society of America. It will feature site-specific poetry installations in seven national parks across the country. These installations, which will transform picnic tables into works of public art, will each feature a historic American poem that connects in a meaningful way to the park.
The featured poets and poems include:
Mary Oliver, “Can You Imagine?” at Cape Cod National Seashore
Jean Valentine, “The valley” at Cuyahoga Valley National Park
June Jordan, “Ecology” at Everglades National Park
Lucille Clifton, “the earth is a living thing” at Great Smoky Mountains National Park
A.R. Ammons, “Uppermost” at Mount Rainier National Park
Francisco X. Alarcón, “Never Alone” at Redwood National and State Parks
Ofelia Zepeda, “Na:nko Ma:s Cewagi/Cloud Song” at Saguaro National Park
Limón will travel to each of the participating parks in 2024 to unveil and celebrate the new installations and support community outreach.
June 14: Cape Cod National Seashore (Massachusetts)
June 21: Mount Rainier National Park (Washington)
June 23: Redwood National and State Parks (California)
July 12: Cuyahoga Valley National Park (Ohio)
July 20: Great Smoky Mountains National Park (North Carolina and Tennessee)
Oct. 8: Everglades National Park (Florida)
Dec. 3: Saguaro National Park (Arizona)
- Event
In person: Ada Limón appearing at Symphony Space featuring Kevin Young, Ilya Kaminsky, and Patricia Smith
New York, NY —Ada Limón launches her signature project as the nation’s Poet Laureate—a joyful and provocative anthology of nature poems commissioned from 50 of the most celebrated American poets. Join Limón for this evening of readings and conversation featuring contributors Ilya Kaminsky, Patricia Smith, and Kevin Young.
There will be a book signing at this event. This event is ticketed and the expected run time is 75 minutes.
- Blog Post
U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón's Library of Congress signature project announced, includes anthology of nature poems
Milkweed Editions is thrilled to share Ada Limón’s signature project as the nation’s twenty-fourth Poet Laureate, You Are Here, which will feature two complementary initiatives: a new anthology of commissioned nature poems, and poetry installed as public art in seven national parks.
- Blog Post
U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón awarded 2023 MacArthur ‘Genius Grant’
We are overjoyed and honored to announce that U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón has been awarded a 2023 MacArthur Fellowship, also known as the “genius grant”! The MacArthur Fellowship is an $800,000, no-strings-attached award to extraordinarily talented and creative individuals as an investment in their potential. Limón is one of twenty 2023 Fellows, including composers, scientists, artists, scholars, and more.
MacArthur Fellows Director Marlies Carruth highlights each Fellow’s dedication to the natural world in her announcement statement:
“The 2023 MacArthur Fellows are applying individual…
- Blog Post
7 questions with DC's Youth Poet Laureate—and Ada Limón superfan—Sophia Hall
On Thursday, September 29 of 2023, Ada Limón was inaugurated as the 24th U.S. Poet Laureate at the Library of Congress. Milkweed Editions was represented there by CEO & Publisher Daniel Slager, and as luck would have it, he would soon learn he was standing in the room amidst another future poet laureate who had dedicated her life to showcasing the power of the written—and spoken—word. Enter seventeen-year-old Sophia Hall, a devoted fan of Ada’s, brought to the ceremony by her mother for a chance to experience the magic of the new poet laureate’s charismatic-yet-commanding voice. By chance, the…
- Event
Hybrid: “You Are Here” celebration with Ada Limón
Washington, DC —Join us at the Library of Congress for Live! at the Library: You Are Here Celebration with Ada Limón
The kickoff event for the U.S. Poet Laureate’s signature project, including the publication of the new anthology You Are Here: Poetry in the Natural World. Featuring Ada Limón with poets Molly McCully Brown, Jake Skeets, Analicia Sotelo, and Paul Tran.This event will be live-streamed here.
Published in association with the Library of Congress and edited by the twenty-fourth Poet Laureate of the United States, a singular collection of fifty poems reflecting on our relationship to the natural world by our most celebrated contemporary writers.