The Muscatine County Arts Council will celebrate local creativity and literary talent during an awards ceremony for the 11th Annual Wandering Words Sidewalk Poetry Competition at 1:30-3 pm, Saturday, June 13.
The public is invited to attend the ceremony at the Muscatine Art Center, 1314 Mulberry Ave. The event will be held in the Music Room and will feature readings of the five winning poems and five honorable mention selections.
This year’s winning poets include Jaidyn Hinrickson, Pam Cantrell and the late Mike Fladlien, all of Muscatine, along with Caedmon Burford of Wilton and Carter Kelly of Durant. Burford and Kelly are students at Wilton Junior-Senior High School.
The annual competition, organized by the Muscatine County Arts Council, launched April 1 in recognition of National Poetry Month. Organizers received 147 submissions from 128 poets. Entries were divided into adult and student categories before undergoing a blind judging process.
This year’s judge was Johnnie Each, an Iowa native, writer and University of Iowa graduate with degrees in journalism and English and creative writing. Each currently serves in college ministry at Veritas Church in Iowa City.
Winning poets will receive $50 prizes, while honorable mention recipients will receive $10. Candice Bark, First Lady of Muscatine, will host the ceremony and present the awards.
The winning poems will eventually become part of Muscatine County’s landscape. Local artist and sculptor Joseph Barnard will etch the winning entries into sidewalks at locations throughout the county. Officials said the locations of the 2026 winning poems will be announced later this month.
Honorable mention recipients include Josh Glasson, Leah Busch and Josh Rudolph of Muscatine, along with Wilton Junior-Senior High School students Lowden Bass and Brantley Thumann.
The Wandering Words Sidewalk Poetry Competition has become a unique tradition that combines public art and literature, allowing residents and visitors to discover poetry throughout Muscatine County’s sidewalks and public spaces.
More information and future updates can be found at the Muscatine County Arts Council website and on the organization’s Facebook page.
