Since 2016, ACW has been creating a series of posters, or broadsides, displaying poems written by North Country residents of all ages and experience levels. These broadsides are installed in shop windows in North Country towns and villages during the month of April to build community and beautify the otherwise dreary mud season.

In 2024, ACW built partnerships with SLC Arts and the Downtown Artists Cellar, extending Poem Village beyond Saranac Lake to St. Lawrence County and Malone. This year, the project will expand again to include Plattsburgh because of a new collaboration with Outside Art: Plattsburgh Public Art Project.

“It’s incredible to see how Poem Village has evolved over the past decade,” said Nathalie Thill, ACW’s executive director. “What began as a way to brighten Saranac Lake’s mud season has expanded to other villages and become a cherished tradition for so many Adirondack writers — from published authors to grade school kids. Last year, we had over 200 people submit a poem.”

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A passerby reads a poem in the window of the Adirondack Center for Writing on Broadway in Saranac Lake. (Provided photo)

Guidelines for submission

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Poems must be under 25 lines or less than 300 words, whichever comes first, and must be the original work of the person submitting. Poets must reside at least part-time in the North Country. ACW accepts all submissions so long as they follow these criteria and do not express any hateful views or content that could be harmful to the general public. The deadline for submissions is March 17.