Poetry Pathway Project

The Poetry Pathway Project was designed to celebrate water, the universal solvent necessary to all life on Earth—and the power of poetry—by installing six poetry signs along walking paths in the Tollgate Drain Wetlands, a constructed mini-park within the City of Lansing which functions as part of Ingham County's stormwater management system, as well as a nature and wildlife sanctuary.

The project was envisioned and established in 2025 by Lansing Poet Laureate Ruelaine Stokes, with the generous support of the Academy of American Poets, the Arts Council of Greater Lansing, the Ingham County Drain Commissioner, the Lansing Economic Area Partnership (LEAP), the RCAH Center for Poetry at MSU, and the Lansing Poetry Club. 

In August of 2025, Stokes launched the "We Are Water" Poetry Contest and a series of poetry workshops within the Greater Lansing Area, resulting in the submission of over 230 poems. In March 2026, six winning poems were installed on signs along the walking trails at Tollgate and featured in a "Gala Celebration" at UrbanBeat in Old Town Lansing.