What is the Hilton Head Poetry Trail? A marriage of technology, creative writing, public art, and arts-minded businesses, the Hilton Head Poetry Trail brings a new way to see Hilton Head Island: through the eyes of the poets who live there. Grab wine for a dinner party from Rollers Wine & Spirits, scan the sign at the door and read Phil Lindsey’s “A Little Tipsy.” Ask What is it? as you stare at the giant red spiral Carocol sculpture in Shelter Cove Park, scan the trail sign and Elizabeth Abrams gives you one interpretation with “O’Keefe’s Woody Orchid.” Return a month or so later, and find new poems and poets offering yet another way to see that space. It’s the kind of collaboration that makes the arts an experience. The project is a partnership between the Town of Hilton Head Island’s Office of Cultural Affairs and the Island Writers’ Network.

Launched at the beginning of April, 2023, the trail is comprised of 25 easy-to-find, numbered signs containing two QR codes. One takes you to a poem written by a poet living in the area. Most are print versions, but some are audio and two play videos. The other QR code takes you to the trail’s Facebook page [https://www.facebook.com/hiltonheadpoetrytrail] where you can find the entire route, plan a full tour, or comment on the poem, the art, or the business you visited along the way. Scanning the sign allows the Office of Cultural Affairs to track traffic, key data that helps direct new projects in our arts community. Over a year in, the trail continues to enjoy steady traffic, an average of 500 visits monthly from 20+ states and 5 countries. Some individual poems in heavily trafficked areas have been read over 2000 times in a 3-month period.

What I propose is a workshop experience where poets from across South Carolina can learn how to create the same installation in their own town. Attendees will leave the workshop with all the tools they need to do so!

Because this is hosted at a private home in Charleston, we are requiring advance registration. Thank you!