Gala Celebration of Poetry on the Pathway at Tollgate

Sun, March 29, 2026 3:00 PM - Sun, March 29, 2026 5:00 PM at Urban Beat, 1213 Turner Rd., Lansing

Last fall, residents of the Tri-County Area, age 10 and older, were invited to submit poems to the “We Are Water” Poetry Contest, a competition designed by Lansing Poet Laureate Ruelaine Stokes to find poems for display in the Tollgate Drain Wetlands, on Lansing’s near east side.

Now, Tollgate features six winning poems—each on a background of stunning photography by local photographer Kim Kauffman—permanently installed along the walking paths in the wetlands.

The winning poets are:

• Dana Hardy, a second-year music education student at MSU.
• Tim Lane, a painter, novelist & poet who works in the Parks, Recreation & Arts Department for the City of East Lansing.
• Daisy Roberts, a poet, nature wanderer & yoga instructor who has recently moved to Lansing
• Jasmine C. Snow, a journalism student working on a Master’s Degree at MSU
• Kendall Stilwell, a student at MSU interested in veterinary medicine.
• Melodie Wright, a writer/artist & former Park Ranger, who loves exploring creativity.

The program will include a reading by the winning poets, a video featuring the new poetry signs at Tollgate, and an opportunity to hear from water scientists working on the front lines of Michigan’s struggle to preserve our magnificent freshwater resources.

The gala is free and open to the public.