River of Words was specifically designed to build community partnerships, as well as watershed awareness and cultural vitality. It has been used around the globe as a catalyst for creek restoration projects, watershed festivals, bookstore Educator Nights, schoolyard gardens, community oral history projects and much, much more.

We invite you to utilize River of Words in your community, organization or school in a way that suits your needs and resources. We are available to help you brainstorm, connect to resources, conduct workshops, or whatever else you need.

We’ve put together some ideas (below) for broadening River of Words’ impact and visibility, with the help of local bookstores and libraries, environmental, and art organizations. Please use these strategies to build your own programs and let us know what you’re doing, so we can share your experiences with others. Good luck!

River of Words Environmental Poetry & Art Contest Promotion and Outreach Opportunities for Environmental Organizations

• Reach out to teachers, principals and school districts in your area. Don’t forget private schools. Develop a “classroom visit” or “field-trip guide” component to further your organization’s outreach program, let schools know about it.
• Compile a reading list of regional nature writers and landscape artists.
• Host a Saturday morning nature poetry and art workshop, perhaps in partnership with a local park district.
• Display or distribute River of Words posters. Contact River of Words for ordering information.
• Host an “Educator’s Night.” Invite teachers to learn about the environmental education resources-guest speakers, naturalists, pamphlets, posters, etc.-your group (and perhaps other grassroots groups contacted by you) have to offer.
• Create a window display, perhaps “Join the River of Words,” featuring works of nature writing and poetry, and/or poems and artwork done by children.
• Develop a summer intern program for high school students.
• Add school newspapers to your regular media list. Keep them informed of the issues you are working on.
• Invite youngsters to create a group poem on a piece of poster board and display it.
• Let your local press know about the River of Words Contest. Perhaps put on an event (an evening reading of works by local nature writers, a workshop, or Family Watershed Exploration Day) that you can promote at the same time.
• Contact your local arts council about events they may be producing for National Poetry Month or the River of Words Contest; explore the possibility of participating, piggybacking or co-sponsoring that event, or suggest one of your own that the arts council might want to collaborate on.
• Conduct your own poetry contest. Consider having a public reading or award ceremony with the winners, or having the winners read at schools, hospitals or senior centers. Entries can be subsequently entered in the annual international River of Words Contest.
• Join together with other environmental organizations in your region to do community-wide River of Words events.
• Post details of the contest on your website, link to our website.
• Place a basket of poems typed on small pieces of paper in your office and invite visitors to take one, or leave one of their own. Provide blank pieces of paper for them to write on.
• Ask your local paper to publish a nature poem a day (perhaps chosen by your staff) during National Poetry Month. Also ask them to publish some of the local entries to the River of Words Contest.
• Highlight the works of regional nature writers in a display in your office or a local library or bookstore.
• Do a display of books on rivers or water in your office or a local library or bookstore.
• Tape a big sheet of paper on your window and invite passers-by to add to a group poem or put out colored chalk and have kids write poetry or draw on the sidewalk.
• Publicly support environmental and arts education.

River of Words Environmental Poetry & Art Contest Promotion and Outreach Opportunities for Arts Organizations

• Reach out to teachers, principals and school districts in your area. Don’t forget private schools. Develop a “classroom visit” component to further your organization’s outreach program; let schools know about it.
• Compile a list of regional landscape artists. Perhaps assemble a portfolio of reproductions that could be borrowed by local teachers.
• Host a Saturday morning nature art workshop or “Sketchbook Hike,” perhaps in partnership with a local park district.
• Display or distribute River of Words posters. Email River of Words for ordering information.
• Host an “Educator’s Night.” Invite teachers to learn about the arts education resources - guest speakers, visiting artists, pamphlets, posters, etc. - your group (and perhaps other groups contacted by you) have to offer.
• Create a window display, perhaps “Join the River of Words,” featuring works of nature writing and poetry, and/or poems and artwork done by children.
• Develop a summer intern program for high school students.
• Add school newspapers to your regular media list. Keep them informed of the projects you are working on.
• Invite youngsters to create a group painting on a piece of poster board and display it.
• Let your local press know about the River of Words Contest. Perhaps put on an event (a display of works by local nature artists or photographers, a workshop, or Family Sketchbook Hike) that you can promote at the same time.
• Contact your local environmental groups about events they may be producing for River of Words Contest; explore the possibility of participating, piggybacking or co-sponsoring that event, or suggest one of your own that they might want to collaborate on.
• Conduct your own art contest. Consider having an exhibit or award ceremony with the winners, or having the winners’ work displayed at schools, hospitals or senior centers. Entries can be subsequently entered in the annual international River of Words Contest.
• Join together with other arts organizations, galleries and museums in your region to do community-wide River of Words events.
• Post details of the contest on your website, link to our website.
• Place a basket of poems typed on small pieces of paper in your office and invite visitors to take one, or leave one of their own. Provide blank pieces of paper for them to write or draw on.
• Ask your local paper to publish a nature poem a day (perhaps chosen by your staff) during National Poetry Month. Also ask them to publish some of the local entries to the River of Words Contest.
• Highlight the works of regional landscape painters in a display in your office or a local gallery, library or bookstore.
• Do a display of images - photos, drawings, paintings - on rivers or water in your office or a local gallery, library or bookstore.
• Put out colored chalk and have kids draw their favorites spot in nature on the sidewalk.
• Publicly support environmental and arts education.

River of Words Environmental Poetry & Art Contest Promotion and Marketing Opportunities for Bookstores and Libraries

• Display River of Words posters. Email River of Words for ordering information.
• Reach out to teachers, principals and school districts in your area. Don’t forget private schools.
• Compile a reading list of regional nature writers and landscape artists.
• Host a Saturday morning nature poetry workshop - invite a local poet and/or someone from a local ecology or conservation group to help teach.
• Host an “Educator’s Night” - invite teachers to meet with representatives from local arts and environmental organizations.
• Create a temporary River of Words area in the children’s section - poetry and nature books together.
• Create a window display, perhaps “Join the River of Words,” featuring works of nature writing and poetry, and/or poems and artwork done by children.
• Invite youngsters to create a group poem on a piece of poster board and display it.
• Let your local press know about National Poetry Month (April) and the River of Words Contest. Perhaps put on an event (a reading, workshop, children’s poetry hour) that you can promote at the same time.
• Contact your local arts council about events they may be producing for National Poetry Month or the River of Words Contest; explore the possibility of participating, piggybacking or co-sponsoring that event, or suggest one of your own that the arts council might want to collaborate on.
• Conduct your own poetry contest. Consider having a public reading or award ceremony with the winners, or having the winners read at schools, hospitals or senior centers. Entries can be subsequently entered in the annual international River of Words Contest.
• Join together with booksellers or libraries in your region to do community-wide events.
• Post details of the contest on your website, link to our website.
• Place a basket of poems typed on small pieces of paper on the counter and invite patrons to take one, or leave one of their own. Provide blank pieces of paper for them to write on.
• Ask your local paper to publish a poem a day (perhaps chosen by your staff) during National Poetry Month. Also ask them to publish some of the local entries to the River of Words Contest.
• Highlight the works of regional writers in a display.
• Do a display of books on rivers or water.
• Tape a big sheet of paper on your window and invite passers-by to add to a group poem or put out colored chalk and have kids write poetry or draw on the sidewalk.
• Print up National Poetry Month bookmarks with poems printed on them for your patrons.
• Publicly support environmental and arts education.