5 Winning Poems To Be Imprinted In Cambridge Sidewalks

Pictured clockwise from top center: Mary Baine Campbell, Christine Del Castillo, Missy Hartvigsen, Jan Shafer, Allen Perez-Somarribas.

5 Winning Poems To Be Imprinted In Cambridge Sidewalks

New poetry will be coming to Cambridge neighborhoods as five winning poems will be imprinted in sidewalks across the city as part of the City of Cambridge’s annual Sidewalk Poetry Contest. The chosen poems describe the thriving recovery of a mulberry tree, an immigrant finding a home in Cambridge, the delight of eating an orange, waiting with the Buddha, and reading a poem imprinted into a sidewalk.

The winners, who will each receive a $250 prize, are:
Mary Baine Campbell
Christine Del Castillo
Missy Hartvigsen
Allen Perez-Somarribas
Jan Shafer

Read the winning poems here.

Launched in 2015, Sidewalk Poetry invites Cambridge residents of all ages to submit their poetry for a chance to get their words stamped in concrete as part of the City’s sidewalk repair program. At the core of the Sidewalk Poetry program is access and opportunity—providing opportunities for more people to freely experience poetry and more writers to share their work. Find poems throughout the city via our Sidewalk Poetry Map.

The Sidewalk Poetry Contest is a collaborative project of the Department of Public Works, Cambridge Arts, and the Cambridge Public Library.

The 2023 Sidewalk Poetry winners were chosen in March from 336 entries. Entries were reviewed without identifying information by a selection committee, assembled with the help of a public call for jurors—the second time we’ve issued a public call for jurors for this program. Its members included Lillian Hsu and Hilary Zelson of Cambridge Arts; Drew Griffin of the Cambridge Public Library; Jen Letourneau of the Cambridge Department of Public Works; residents Jesse Lowe, Sean Northern, Aparna Paul and Cecilia Tan; and residents and Poet Populists Jean-Dany Joachim and Peter Payack.