The Poetry in the Park Fest will include poetry readings, workshops and an open-mic for people to share their work.

The all-ages event will also feature a book exchange, a low sensory reading lounge, collaging, zine-makerspace and a bookmark creation station. Attendees will be able to create “found poetry,” or poetry using words clipped from magazines and other collage materials.

Event organizer Jazmyne Olson grew up going to the Weber County Library, which shares space with Lester Park.

“A lot of our workshops are going to be kind of based around enjoying that natural element of the space around you because Lester Park has been really set to the side by a lot of the Ogden community,” Olson said.

Neighbors, Ogden CAN and the WSU Design Lab have been focusing on making a more meaningful experience for the community at Lester Park by bringing more events to the central Ogden green space. Olson hopes the Poetry at the Park Fest is a way to generate attention.

“I think poetry is one of the most accessible forms of combining creativity and critical thinking. It is also one of the most beautiful and joyous forms,” Olson said. “It really allows us to both reflect on our past, enjoy our present and really dive into our future.”

Article by the News Reporting and Writing class at Weber State University. Tenaya Hyde-Harrison, Grayson Freestone, James Gordon, Mia Salgado, Erin Drollette, Jared Mitchell, Hyrum Adame Ramirez, Elmer Peña and Jean Norman contributed to this story.