April is National Poetry Month, and it is the perfect time to visit Montpelier, which transforms into PoemCity for the entire month. Organized by the Kellogg-Hubbard Library, this year the event displays 450 poems in the windows of 50 downtown businesses. The poets range in age from 3 to 94, include 200 students and represent 75 towns. There are also 35 community events and poetry readings scheduled.

In her latest episode of "Stuck in Vermont,” Seven Days senior multimedia producer Eva Sollberger visited the Capital City in early April to get her poetry fix. She got a downtown tour of PoemCity from Michelle Singer, the adult programs and outreach coordinator at the Kellogg-Hubbard Library. They were joined by two poets, former state senator Scudder Parker and Samantha Kolber of Rootstock Publishing. They held impromptu poetry readings on the street, and Kolber read a poem by Reuben Jackson, a beloved former Vermonter who recently died. Three of Jackson’s poems can be found in the windows of Buch Spieler Records on Langdon Street.

This is the 15th annual PoemCity, and it means a lot to Montpelier residents, who have endured a tumultuous time. Last July, the town was devastated by catastrophic flooding, and while many businesses are back up and running, some are still renovating. The basement at the Kellogg-Hubbard Library was underwater, and the staff lost about 10,000 donated books and all their main systems: Their elevator, heating, electrical and sprinkler systems were all ruined. While the library is currently open and operational, there is still much work to be done.

Art is a great way to work through big life events, and some of the poems mention the floods, while also covering love, animals, pastries and lots of Vermonty stuff, too. You can purchase an anthology of PoemCity’s 2024 works in bookstores across the state.

Filming date: 4/2/24

Music: The Westerlies, “Hard Times Come Again No More” Composed by Stephen Foster

This episode of Stuck in Vermont was supported by New England Federal Credit Union.