Renée Adams, the poet, creator and curator of The Poetry Fence in Del Ray, Alexandria, calls it her analog blog. I first experienced the Poetry Fence through a Writing PAUSE session in her garden, thanks to an introduction by her neighbor LouLou Marino. On the fence, Renée shares the work of famous poets, poets from her neighborhood, her own poems, and so much more. As I was thinking on this year’s theme of State, City, Street, and how I could reach beyond Arlington to find creativity, storytelling, and joy in connecting with community, I wondered if The Poetry Fence could come to Arlington. I was thrilled when she agreed!

In this exhibit we showcase 16 years of The Poetry Fence through stories of its visitors, poems shared on “the Avenue,” Gumball Poetry in cafes, and a mini version of the fence shown at the library. Photos and decorations take us across seasons, while the pond, the Poetry Mailbox and the Little Free Library invite us to interact. We created our version of the fence using brown papers that have covered our tables since we opened this location, on which visitors doodled and wrote. It allows our community to mix with Renée’s!
~ Sushmita Mazumdar, Artistic Director, Studio PAUSE