Poet Tree on Judson

Celebrating Poetry Month, poet and Evanston resident Sue Gundlach created a Poet Tree on the parkway in front of her house on Judson Avenue. She invited neighbors to submit a favorite poem – or an original one – and she made large copies of these and hung them on the tree.

“That has been an interesting challenge, given the weird weather we’ve been having in Illinois — rain, snow, golf-ball size hail, etc.,” she said. “The response from passersby has been so lovely — I do think people want to ‘shelter in poems,’” she added, using a phrase from the Academy of American Poets, which in 1996 established April as National Poetry Month. 

“Sometimes people might not even realize the effects poetry can have, but when they see the display, they take time to read, discuss, and just enjoy. “You won’t be surprised that there are several Shel Silverstein poems, along with words from Marge Piercy, Robert Frost, Christina Rossetti, Seamus Heaney, even a poem of mine and many more.” Three Poet Tree offerings appear in the sidebar to this story.

Ms. Gundlach’s poems have appeared in various journals, including After Hours, The Human Touch, Dark Matter and In Plein Air. In 2017, she and Evanston artists Lea Basile Lazarus published Stories in Images and Words: An Exhibition of Art and Poetry in 2017.  

Ms. Gundlach said she alternates the poems from day to day “so there will not be an overwhelming quantity that might scare people away. We hope to give folks a quiet moment in these days that are filled with face masks, nervous trips to the grocery store and financial and health anxieties.”

Although Poetry Month ends on April 30, Ms. Gundlach said the Poet Tree will likely continue into May.”

Asked what she would think if others adopted the idea of a Poet Tree, Ms. Gundlach said, “If others want to copy the idea, more power to them.” She said she could offer some time-saving advice, “based on the many rearrangements we’ve had to make. It’s rather disheartening to see one of the foam boards upside down in the tree during a strong wind.”

The Poet Tree could branch out.