Tell it, Tampa! A Poetry Challenge for National Poetry Month

In honor of National Poetry Month, the City of Tampa Wordsmith, Gianna Russo, is launching a city-wide community project through a poetry challenge. Russo is seeking poems about our fair city, Tampa, otherwise known as T-Town, the Big Guava, Gasparilla Queen, Home of the Bolts, Super Bowl Host-with-the-Most, whatever you like to call her.

Poems about places are ubiquitous. Some of them define key characteristics or focus on famous landmarks. Some poems focus on geography and the natural world. Some buzz with the frenzy of the city. Some sing out the beauty of a place, while other poems worry over injustices.

Guidelines are simple: Poems should be about Tampa, no longer than one page, and must be free of language that would be unsuitable for your grandmother. Deadline to submit is April 23rd, Shakespeare's birthday.  Selected poem(s) will be featured by the City of Tampa and may be considered as part of a public art installation. For details on how to submit, visit www.tampagov.net/arts

The City of Tampa recognizes the power and value of self-expression and acknowledges that the written word expressed through poetry, creative writing and verse can be a platform to engage and empower Tampa's citizens and neighborhoods. In 2020, Mayor Jane Castor appointed the City's first Wordsmith, local writer and educator, Gianna Russo as part of the Art on the Block program, an initiative that brings art and artists into the neighborhoods.