#5Poets5Parks
Join Metroparks Toledo for #5poets5parks in celebration of National Poetry Month on Friday, April 3, 2026 at Glass City Metropark. Doors open at 5:30 p.m.
More details to be announced when reservations open to the public December 5, 2025
Metroparks Toledo is celebrating National Poetry Month by spotlighting five poets who have written poems in honor of five Toledo Metroparks. A collaborative initiative designed to amplify efforts in eco-awareness and conservation, each poet will read their work as part of the April 4 ceremony at Glass City Metropark, Glass City Pavilion. Opening at 5:30 p.m., the event will showcase poems, a slideshow of photographs from each of the Metroparks, and original letterpress prints of the poets’ work. A signing and light refreshments will follow.
Hosted by Georgia Author of the Year Poetry Finalist, Atlanta poet, and Toledo native, Julie E. Bloemeke, the #5poets5parks celebration will feature the work of award-winning Toledo poets:
- Melba Joyce Boyd
- Dior J. Stephens
- Ruelaine Stokes
- Grace Guy
- Charles Malone
The poems will highlight:
- Cannonball Prairie
- Howard Marsh Preserve
- Middlegrounds
- Toledo Botanical Garden
- Wiregrass Lake
Sven Olaf Nelson, founder of Pineapple Press and Design, will create original letterpress postcards of the poems expressly for the event.
Christy Frank, an award-winning filmmaker, photo journalist and writer based in the Great Lakes region will be the featured photographer.