The Wildling Museum of Art and Nature in Solvang is inviting residents of Santa Barbara County to enter its Earth Day Poetry Contest. Submissions are due no later than Monday, March 22, by 5 p.m. Under the contest’s theme of Why Earth Day Matters, participants of the competition are asked to interpret the importance of Earth Day through their poems.
The contest is intended to highlight “the importance of standing up to protect the planet’s dwindling natural resources and working against the threats of climate change,” according to the Wildling Museum. Poetry entries will be judged by poet and environmental activist Sojourner Kincaid Rolle (pictured above), former poet laureate of Santa Barbara (2015 to 2017) and former associate editor for Sage Trail Poetry Magazine.
Throughout her career, Rolle has authored three collections of poetry: The Mellow Yellow Global Umbrella, Common Ancestry, and Black Street. She is currently working on a new book, Where The Hum Begins, which will be a compilation of “place” poems inspired by the Central Coast and other areas. Her environmental activism work includes collaborations with the Watershed Resource Center, the Sierra Club, and other organizations.
For the Earth Day Poetry Contest, Rolle will review entries and select which poems make it to the top three, which will be announced and read during the Community Environmental Council’s virtual Santa Barbara Earth Day Celebration on Thursday, April 22.
Local poets of all ages are welcome to enter up to three different poems to the contest. For guidelines, requirements, a link to entry forms, and additional info, visit wildlingmuseum.org. The Wildling Museum of Art and Nature is located at 1511 Mission Drive, unit B, Solvang.
This article appears in Feb 25 – Mar 4, 2021.