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Costa Mesa moves sidewalk-poetry pilot to additional parks; poet-laureate to lead workshops
Summary
Staff outlined a sidewalk-poetry rollout for Brentwood, Shalimar and Ketchum Leibold parks, plans for a call-for-poems and outreach to teens, and noted poet laureate Danielle Hanson will finish her term early to relocate but will assist with selection and workshops through 2027.
Art specialist Miss Garner presented the city’s sidewalk-poetry expansion, describing a call-for-poems, planned imprints in new park concrete, and outreach to youth.
Miss Garner said the concrete pour at Brentwood Park will be followed by imprinting poem stamps once the vendor is ready. She described planned sites including Shalimar Park and Ketchum Leibold Park and circulated sample call-for-poems materials for review by the commission. Miss Garner said community outreach events and park groundbreakings will include information about the poetry project.
Commissioners stressed community-based theme selection and asked staff to include images and definitions in the outreach materials. Commissioner Duderian asked about teen outreach; staff said a workshop is planned at the downtown recreation center and that the poet laureate, Danielle Hanson, will lead a workshop and participate in a selection/review process before her departure for North Carolina (her two-year agreement runs through April 2027, but she will support recruitment and selection remotely). Commissioners also requested at least one Spanish-language poem be selected per site and discussed whether translations should be stamped in concrete or handled differently for legibility.
Staff will return poem selections and review-panel recommendations to the commission for final approval.
