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A Personal History of River of Words

by Pamela Michael

Children are experts at creating visions of places they’ve seen only in their imaginations-places made real by the very act of creation. So what happens when you ask those selfsame kids to imagine places that are very real, to find the poetry in water and earth and stone? And what if they are asked not just to explore the simple beauty of a place, but to reveal its environmental wisdom, and find their connection to it?

You get children finding their place in the natural world. You get children who know that water doesn’t just come from a tap. You get children who know their “ecological address” as well as they know the name of their street or their town. You get hope.

This hope was the genesis of River of Words, an international poetry and art contest for children in kindergarten through twelfth grade that invites students to explore their own watershed, discover its importance in their lives, and express what they’ve learned, felt and observed in words and images. The program was sparked by former US Poet Laureate (1995-1997) Robert Hass’ commitment to environmental education. His vision was strong enough to inspire a group of hardcore environmental activists-a feisty bunch of dam-fighters at International Rivers Network (IRN), a grassroots group committed to protecting the integrity of watersheds-and a freelance writer like me to leap with both feet into the wonderful world of children’s poetry and art.

The jump from activism to art wasn’t such a great leap, in fact. River of Words’ innovative approach to environmental and arts education was just a different kind of activism, springing from the same roots as most environmental advocacy work-an attempt to reveal the links between people and nature, the physical and the spiritual-then sharing what you’ve uncovered (networking) with others, and inspiring them to continue the process in their own communities (grassroots organizing).

As so often happens, fate and history conspired to create a moment in time when a new idea can find fertile ground and flourish. In 1995 several things happened at precisely the right time that allowed River of Words to become more than just a catchy phrase-and certainly not a new one-rattling around my head as I awoke one October morning. Half-awake, I somehow knew that River of Words was the name of the yet-to-be-determined project a friend had suggested I come up with to present to the newly-appointed Poet Laureate, whom, she suggested, might be interested in working with a group of activists trying to protect and save the world’s rivers. “He’s really interested in the environment and education,” she’d said. “Come up with an idea and I’ll introduce you to him.” I had just been hired as a consultant at IRN, and was casting about for ideas to help them further their cause.

Meanwhile, The Academy of American Poets had just announced that they were declaring April as an annual National Poetry Month. April-not the cruelest month after all, it seems-is also the month in which Earth Day falls each year. Rivulets of ideas were beginning to converge—poetry, rivers, education, Earth. But what form was this rich confluence to take? And how would we engage people’s attention in the short time before April 1996, the first National Poetry Month? Perhaps River of Words could be a poetry contest. My background in curriculum development and international education led me naturally to addressing children; a poetry contest seemed a good idea. River of Words, yes-we could have an annual environmental poetry contest, I speculated. My initial thought was to have children write about a different theme each year, beginning with rivers, as dictated by my involvement with International Rivers Network, whom I’d hoped would like the idea of sponsoring the contest.

When Robert Hass and I finally met, it was as if we’d been working on the same idea all along. “A contest, yes, I’d thought about that, too.” he concurred. “But let’s make the theme ‘watersheds,’ and keep it watersheds. Learning about our own watersheds gets to the essence of how we have to understand our homegrounds, which is critical if we’re ever to have a hope of managing them effectively. Let’s get kids’ imaginations working from that perspective right from the start.”

In the next few months, IRN’s rabbit warren of offices above a pizza parlor in Berkeley, California was transformed by a flurry of volunteers working to make River of Words a reality. We quickly realized that our first step was to reach-and teach-the teachers. Having a contest on the theme of watersheds in 1995 (and to some extent even today) meant we’d have to give teachers some background on what a watershed is, why they’re important and how students might go about exploring their own watersheds. With the help of poets, scientists, educators, artists and conservationists, a curriculum guide was created and distributed free to teachers across the country, with sections on teaching about watersheds, poetry and art. We encouraged teachers to partner up with other teachers-a science teacher and an English teacher, say-as well as with others in their communities-bird watchers, writers, park rangers, water department employees, photographers, farmers, and so on. Every community, we reasoned, has untapped numbers of folks who might jump at the chance to take kids on a field trip or give a classroom presentation. Most school systems, however, have no vehicle, for engaging such people: one doesn’t just knock on the schoolhouse door and say, “I know how to read animal tracks,” or “I can identify all our native plants.” River of Words, from the start, was as much about building community partnerships as it was about education, nature and the arts.

After creating a curriculum guide, the next step that first year was getting the word out. A list of thousands of arts and environmental organizations was posted on our web site to connect teachers with local resources. A mailing was sent to over 3,000 grassroots watershed-related organizations - creek and river restoration groups, fishing enthusiasts, and so on - encouraging them to contact their local schools and offer to visit the classroom or take kids on field trips and talk about their region’s natural and cultural history. We contacted every state arts council in the country and provided them with River of Words (quickly dubbed “ROW”) materials, encouraging them to do similar outreach to the schools. Through the American Booksellers Association, we provided bookstore owners with ideas for in-store displays of local poetry and natural history, afternoon children’s poetry readings, sidewalk art events, and the like. The idea was to involve as many facets of the community as possible in exploring and learning about that particular place-Who lived here long ago? How did they feed themselves? Where does our water come from? Where does our garbage go? What stories, songs, poems, tall tales and art has this place inspired?

A mere five months later thousands of entries began to pour into our office from a wide cross-section of America’s youth: from public, private and parochial schools representing nearly every state; home-schooling families, after-school programs, 4-H, Girl Scouts, nature centers, youth clubs and libraries. Our favorites of the children’s poems and paintings were posted in the mailroom for all to enjoy, alongside the usual office clutter of announcements, flyers, reminders, jokes. Staff meetings began with a newly arrived poem or two.

One unanticipated bonus was the effect of the children’s work on the staff of International Rivers Network. Activism is difficult work, filled with long hours of writing and research, legal wrangling, statistical analysis- and often-disappointment and loss. Like most environmental activists struggling to save a species or ecosystem or culture, International River Network’s staff of had precious little time to actually spend on or near rivers-they were too busy saving them. The humor, love, and tender observations of the children’s art and poetry reminded them why their own work was so essential, why it was worth the long hours and low pay; many remarked that they were revitalized by the entries, and that the children’s work had renewed their sense of hope for the future.

We were also heartened by the innovative ways River of Words was being implemented locally around the country. One small town in New Mexico celebrated with a River of Words parade down Main Street, replete with streetlight banners made by local children of their artwork. Every shop in town that day had a little basket next to the cash register where you could take a poem or leave a poem. The community also sponsored a river bank clean up and poetry reading, which has become an annual event. In Michigan, a bookstore owner sponsored a River of Words evening at her store for teachers. She invited representatives of all the local groups and agencies she could think of that might have programs or material of use to children and had them meet with teachers to discuss how to utilize their resources. In California, an elementary teacher added a multigenerational aspect to River of Words by having her class visit a senior citizens’ home that stood alongside a creek. The students conducted oral history interviews of the elders, many of whom were lifelong residents of the area. They explored the creek together, then returned to their classrooms to write poems and paint. When the seniors received copies of the children’s work they were so inspired that they invited the class to return with their families and teacher the following month. To the surprise of the students, the seniors threw a wonderful party for them and read poems they had written in response to the children’s work. Many were about the creek, and quite a few included their own childhood memories of the place. Every year, we learn of more and more local events sparked by River of Words-events that build community awareness and support ongoing partnerships in support of education, conservation, and the arts.

Clearly, the children who participate in River of Words each year have gained much, as well. Aside from learning the ecology and value of their watersheds, their imaginations find much to celebrate, honor and nurture. Robert Hass, the contest’s mentor, co-founder, and now president of our board of directors, believes that neither poetry nor science alone can make the next generation better stewards of the earth. “We need both things-a living knowledge of the land and a live imagination of it and our place in it-if we are going to preserve it. Good science and a vital art and, in the long run, wisdom.”

When Hass was appointed Poet Laureate in 1995 (the first ever from west of the Mississippi), he realized he had an opportunity to bring attention to two issues that were of great importance to him-the environment and literacy. Seizing the moment, he decided to convene an unprecedented gathering at The Library of Congress to celebrate American nature writers, the natural world and community values. The resulting April 1996 event-the largest ever held at The Library-was entitled “Watershed: Writers, Nature & Community.” During six landmark days, thousands of representatives of grassroots conservation, restoration and environmental education organizations from around the country shared ideas and strategies with the country’s most important nature writers.

It was at this seminal gathering (a “watershed” event, if ever there was) that we honored our first River of Words Contest winners. (That the first ROW Awards Ceremony even happened was one of the many “miracles” that have saved us from disaster several times: While caught up in the rush of conceptualizing River of Words that first year, along with the challenge of creating a curriculum guide and reaching the nation’s teachers in the space of a few months, our fund-raising efforts suffered. The contest was a great success but, to our horror, we had not raised enough money to send the winners to Washington, as we’d promised. Just as we were struggling to find a way out of what was sure to be a public relations, not to mention ethical, nightmare-telling children, no less, that we couldn’t make good on their promised prize trip-actor Robin Williams and his wife Marsha stepped in and saved the day with a large donation.

In the several years since its rocky inception, River of Words has formalized its affiliation with The Library of Congress Center for the Book. Our annual Award Ceremony for the River of Words’ grand prize winners and their families in the Library’s Madison Building each April draws an enthusiastic audience of Washington residents, teachers and public officials. The contest now accepts entries from children all over the world and honors an International grand prize winner at the Library ceremony, as well. We publish an annual poetry book of the contest’s winning entries, entitled “River of Words: The Natural World as Viewed by Young People.” We also conduct teacher training workshops all over the country and have seventeen (and counting!) ROW state coordinators, often housed at state departments of natural resources, or libraries. Many states conduct their own River of Words’ contests in conjunction with the larger contest each year, as well, awarding local prizes.

Continuing to utilize the “activist” model on which it was founded, River of Words relies heavily on networking and partnership development. We encourage the leveraging of existing resources and work with many organizations and institutions to provide educational opportunities for students and communities. There is now a Girl Scout “Water Drop” patch, developed in partnership with the US Environmental Protection Agency, for which girls enter the River of Words contest after exploring their watersheds. River of Words poetry and art is reprinted in magazines, books, annual reports and newspapers, and exhibits of the winning art are seen around the world at museums, conferences and other events. In 2001, we took another great leap forward and “spun off” from International Rivers Network, becoming an independent non-profit educational organization.

River of Words participants have given us a unique and encompassing view of our world as seen through the eyes of its children. They have expressed their concerns, dreams, wishes and fears in words and pictures that astound and delight. Now that we know what these children have to say. The question for the rest of us is: what do we have to say to them? Do we know our place in the watery world? Robert Hass again: “There is no reason we cannot give our kids hope, and a sense of pride, and a love of our amazing earth, and a sense of purpose, and we need to begin now. River of Words is the seed of a place to start.”

River of Words^® · 2547 Eighth Street, 13B · Berkeley, CA 94710 USA
info@riverofwords.org · Phone:510-548-7636 · Fax:510-548-2095