Dr. Mag Gabbert, clinical assistant professor in Simmons’ Department of Human-Centered Interdisciplinary Studies (HCIS) and Dallas Poet Laureate, has launched the city’s first Sidewalk Poetry Project.
Gabbert, who was named poet laureate for the City of Dallas in April 2024, was also selected as one of the American Academy of Poets’ 2025 Poet Laureate Fellows. The academy announced in August it was awarding $1.1 million to 23 fellows across the United States. The fellowships recognize poets for literary excellence and support projects that engage communities through the power of poetry.
Gabbert’s Sidewalk Poetry Project is a poetry-centered public art installation in which poems written by Dallas residents will be stamped into freshly poured sidewalks in 28 locations across the city. She worked with the City of Dallas’ Office of Arts and Culture to create a website that houses an informational video, instructions for residents to submit their work for consideration, and educational resources.
Gabbert says the creative initiative aims to transform everyday walks around the city into opportunities for reflection, imagination, and connection. In a recent KERA News story, Gabbert noted that poetry has the power to “help us grieve and celebrate, navigate nuance and complexity, and overcome failures of imagination.”
Simmons is proud that Gabbert is not only inspiring the students she teaches but is also enriching the cultural and artistic life of Dallas.
Interested poets have until 5 p.m. on November 7 to submit a poem for the project at https://dallasculture.org/sidewalks-poetry-project/. Entrants whose poems are selected will receive a $150 honorarium.
See the KERA story at https://t.co/NZCWxuarbg