March 3 2020 Calling poets of all ages and abilities: If you live, work or attend school in Clearwater, the city of Clearwater is inviting you to submit your poems in its first ever city-wide poetry competition, "Poetry Made Concrete."

The best part? The five winning poems will be permanently featured on Clearwater's sidewalks by stamping selected poems into the concrete of newly constructed and repaired sidewalks in five locations throughout the city. "This program brings art and literature to the public realm by transforming something as ordinary as a sidewalk into a work of art. We hope that when residents happen upon these poems around the city, it will add moments of surprise and inspiration to an otherwise unassuming public space," said Juliahna Green, neighborhoods coordinator.



Poetry submissions are due by March 31. The winning poems will be announced in April and installed on sidewalks during the summer of 2020. All Clearwater residents are encouraged to participate, regardless of age and experience level. The purpose of this program is to celebrate the voices of Clearwater residents. The Poetry Made Concrete program is part of the city's placemaking initiative to make public spaces fun and engaging. This is the sixth placemaking project the city has launched this year. The city has also introduced sidewalk rain art, signal box art, storm drain mural program, the little free library program, and dumpster art. All programs are active and have received widespread community interest and support.

To submit a poem or become involved with any of the placemaking programs, residents can visit myclearwater.com/placemaking_playbook.