Poetry Pathways Project

The Poetry Pathways 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.

The project sought to celebrate poetry and Lansing area poets and the power of water by installing individual poems on signs throughout the Tollgate Drain Wetlands, a nearly 300 acre storm drain system complete with walking trails and informative signs, designed and built by Ingham County Drain Commissioner Patrick E. Lindemann.

In August 2025, Ruelaine Stokes announced a poetry contest to the tri-county area, which drew over 200 entries. Six winning poems were installed along the trails of the Tollgate Drain Wetlands and announced at a "Gala Celebration" at Urban Beat in March 2026.