The 25th Poetry Walk Across the Brooklyn Bridge

After a three-year hiatus, the Bridge Walk is back!

We were so glad to see all of you at our 25th annual walk across the Brooklyn Bridge on June 6. As Executive Director Rob Arnold noted in his welcome, the Bridge Walk is a beloved NYC tradition—part celebration, part procession, part recitation and ritual—all for the sake of poetry.

It was a wonderful day to participate in community and celebrate the power and beauty of poetry. We were thrilled to welcome featured guests Rae Armantrout, Chen Chen, Rigoberto González, Kimiko Hahn, Terrance Hayes, Tommy Pico, and Tracy K. Smith, who shared some poems throughout the event.

Rigoberto González leads a call and response group reading of “Praise the Rain,” by Joy Harjo mid-span of the Brooklyn Bridge. (Photo by Cameron Blaylock).

Speaking of community, we send heartfelt thanks to all the professionals and volunteers who worked together to make the evening a success, to our corporate sponsor Rosenthal Wine Merchant, and to Benefit Committee Members Cornelius Eady, Tracy K. Smith, and Monica Youn for their tireless support.

And most of all, thank you for joining us! Whether reveling in person or cheering us on from afar, it was so special to connect with so many of you after a pandemic’s worth of time apart.

Poet Jacqueline Johnson says that Bridge Walk announces the beginning of summer, and finally, we’re happy to say that summer is here! Go out, enjoy, and we can’t wait to welcome you into our space soon.

Tracy K. Smith reads and discusses Walt Whitman at Jane’s Carousel. Photo by Cameron Blaylock.             

All Photos by Cameron Blaylock.