During 2023 and 2024, Write On, Door County partnered with NWS to host the Four Seasons of Writing program at Newport. The goal of these free workshops was to engage people of all ages in writing about nature and the world around them.
Sessions were led by Write On’s writers-in-residence Carlos Reyes and Renata Golden; volunteer Allison Haus; and Write On’s Founding and Artistic Director Jerod Santek.
NWS member Maryanne O’Dowd and Park Naturalist Beth Bartoli helped coordinate each session. Thank you to all who made this program possible and especially to all who came out to write!
The poems and prose of workshop participants who submitted their work for exhibition are now displayed along the Poetry Trail. The trail is a ¾-mile level loop and can be accessed via the Visitors Center parking area (Lot 1). The trail wanders through a wooded area and out into open meadow. The ten stanchions (and occasional bench) along the walk allow visitors an opportunity to slow down and experience poetry within the beauty of nature.
At Home in the Forest
I return here often to listen to the quiet voice within.
Stepping from the paved path to the dirt trail is like crossing a threshold.
I feel the solidness of Mother Earth beneath my feet.
I see the sunlight filtering through the leaves of the tall red pines, birches, and beech trees, like peering through a stained-glass window. As the rays of light move toward the earth, they highlight emerald green patches of soft mosses.
I hear the waves breaking over and over, massaging the sandy, rocky shoreline.
The songs of the chickadee and the gull vibrate through the air guiding me along.
I smell the richness of the soil, the decomposing leaves, branches, and fallen trees. The pungent, earthy scent I love.
I am at home here, safe and secure in this peaceful haven.
I lose sense of time as I slowly wander noticing the little treasures above and below. Lost and free in the wonder of nature.
SHERRY SEUBERT
