摘要
Poetry of the Wild is an ongoing artistic and literary project that according to originator Ana Flores＇ conception, invites the public ＂out for a walk＂ to freshly experience their world through word, sound, and image. Inspired by birdhouse design, these unique configurations of ＂poetry boxes＂, combining art and poetry are located in various communal open spaces. Each new project solicits a public response from us all to become catalysts for exploring our environs and questioning how a sense of place informs our consciousness. A folkloristic perspective shapes this discussion about the many variations of this collaborative and public project of poetry boxes, installed on trails, in parks, along rivers, and in library stacks over the past ten years. The primary concerns of folklore interpretation such as tradition, identity, cultural creativity, performance, and narrative analysis, are just a few of the dynamics that can be teased out from investigating a project with such interesting cultural parameters. In this context, cultural sustainability and poetic sensibility deepen our understanding of sense of place, environmental aesthetics, shrine markers, and the scope of individual and communal creative action.
