The world around us is a place of endless fascination, fun and facts. We hope you will learn some new ways to explore your neighborhood, watershed, parks, schoolyard, backyard, and wild places with the help of River of Words.

Nature, especially the parts that are untamed, provides great inspiration for creating art and poetry. We encourage you to get to know the place you live. Learn the names of the plants and animals and birds and other creatures who live alongside you. Find out who lived there a long time ago, where your water comes from, what stories and songs have been written about where you live, what plays and paintings it has inspired. Create some of your own!

Here are some tips on how to write good poems from Robert Hass, who was the Poet Laureate of the United States [link to: http://www.loc.gov/poetry/laureate.html] from 1995-1997 and is a co-founder of River of Words, and from Lawrence Ferlinghetti, a poet who started San Francisco’s famous bookstore, City Lights.

One of the best ways to learn about art and poetry is to look at a lot of it. Take a moment to visit the Art Gallery and Poetry section of this website, to view the amazing work that’s been done by youth around the world.

If you’d like to enter our free, annual contest, and maybe win a trip to Washington, DC with a parent for our award ceremony at The Library of Congress, take a look at how to enter.

You can enter the contest on your own, or as part of a group. If you’re a Girl Scout, be sure to check out the Water Drop and Watershed patches you can earn. Ask your Scout leader about them, too.

There are lots of things you can do to protect and improve your community. The more you know about its natural and cultural history, the better steward you can become. Check this site from time to time for new ideas and projects. Good luck exploring your watershed and your imagination!