Poetry in Plain Sight: A Statewide Poetry Initiative
Launched in Winston-Salem in 2013, Poetry in Plain Sight brings North Carolina poetry and poets to the public. Four poems are chosen for each of the twelve months and displayed on posters in street-visible locations throughout arts districts, bookstores, and downtown areas, connecting poets, poetry, and new audiences across the state.
In its second year, Poetry in Plain Sight extended the Word Up! program created for Winston-Salem Transit Authority buses by the late Rodney Holman. Holman was a Board Director of Winston-Salem Writers and one of Poetry in Plain Sight’s prime movers. In 2014, Winston-Salem Writers received an Innovative Projects Grant from The Arts Council of Winston-Salem Forsyth County to install poetry posters in all WSTA buses. Although the bus program is no longer active, poetry posters have been on continual display in over twenty storefront locations since January 2013.
We’d love to see you share photos of PIPS poems in the wild on the NCPS Instagram page, @north.carolina.poetry.society, or on the NCPS Facebook page!
Current initiatives include audio recordings of program poems, tiny take-home poems, and a variety of readings across the state. Please see the schedule below to find a reading near you! If you’d like to host one, or are interested in becoming a Host City Coordinator, please email State Coordinator Hannah Ringler at ncps.pips.hannahr@gmail.com.
Additionally, in partnership with the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, the Martha Blakeney Hodges Special Collections and University Archives will now serve as a repository for Poetry in Plain Sight archives, including poetry posters (hard copies and electronic), as well as historical records from the program’s inception and development.
This program is a collaborative effort of the North Carolina Poetry Society, North Carolina Writer’s Network, Winston-Salem Writers, and Press 53 of Winston-Salem. The NC Poetry Society appreciates donations to the program, and all contributions will go solely to support PIPS in future years. If you would like to donate, please indicate the purpose of your payment on the NOTES or INSTRUCTIONS FOR SELLER line in your PayPal transaction.
2026 and 2027 Selections Announcement
The forty-eight poems to be featured in Poetry In Plain Sight 2026-2027 have been selected!
One hundred and twenty-eight North Carolina poets submitted this year, totaling 302 adult poems and 32 student poems. Poems were judged blind.
Many thanks to our talented judges, Karen Mittet and James Wyshynski, who worked hard and efficiently to select an excellent slate of poems for the upcoming Poetry in Plain Sight year! These poems represent a range of styles, themes, and approaches that I believe will speak to our community in the year ahead.
Poetry In Plain Sight thanks the NC Writers Network, Winston-Salem Writers, and Press 53 for their support, both financial and in-kind; plus Friends of the Program for their direct donations and/or purchase of our vintage posters to keep the program viable. Posters are available at in-person meetings of the North Carolina Poetry Society.
I thank all the poets who trusted us with their work, the wonderful volunteers who have helped me keep the program running and growing, this year’s fantastic judges, and the diligent Host City Coordinators, without whom this program could not continue. Your work is greatly appreciated.
Hannah Ringler
NCPS Poetry in Plain Sight State Coordinator
Readings
April 4, 2026 – PIPS Launch at Oberlin Regional Library in Raleigh at 1:30 p.m. Full details and registration here.
Venues
In 2026-27, poems will be placed in windows in the following locations:
Apex: Eva Perry Library, Common Grounds Coffee, Mission Market, Fresh Local Ice Cream
Asheville/Black Mountain: Pack Library, Malaprops, Asheville Yoga Center, Liberty House Cafe, The Hope West, Dobra Tea East, East Asheville Library, Bagatelle Books, Sassafrass, Black Mountain Center for the Arts, 7 Sisters, BM Library
Boone: Farm Cafe, Mast Store (billboard in back of Candy Barrel), Appalachian Tees (Julie), Boone Mall (in both entrances), Wonder Pelvic Health Physical Therapy, Boone Bagelry, West King Street Public Bulletin Board, Huzzah Books, Watauga Arts Council
Burnsville: Yancey Co Library, Celo Community Center, Burnsville Town Center, Plott Hound Books, Yummi Yarns, Tulsi Tea, Burnsville Candle, Grapevine
Carrboro: Golden Fig Books
Charlotte Area: Atherton Farmer’s Market, Dilworth Soup Kitchen, Lexington Dilworth Apartments, Lucky Fish Seafood Market, Body Revive Massage, Club Pilates, Pet Wants CLT, Charlotte Center for Literary Arts, Cosmic Nails, Caribou Coffee, Green Brothers Juice and Smoothies, Park Road Books, Queens University, Paper Skyscraper, Charlotte Tattoo, CLTCH, Emmy Squared Pizza, Fuel Pizza, Vapors Elite Smoke Shop, High Life Smoke Shop Central, Midwood Guitar Studio, SADU Body Modification, Que Onda Tacos, Dish Restaurant, Troubadour Booksellers, Belmont Bookshop, The Market at 7th Street, Book Buyers, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Library
Durham: At all library branches, Joe Van Gogh on Broad Street, Golden Fig Books, and Freeman’s Creative
Greensboro: Katherine Clay Edwards Library, Downtown Library, Benjamin Library, Scuppernong Books, and Salem Lake restrooms
Greenville: Barton College, The Scullery, ECU English Department, ECU Student Union
Hendersonville: Brandy Bar, The Buzz (a coffee shop), 3 Choppt Sandwich Shop, McFarland’s Bakery, Sherman’s (a clothing store with specialty local t-shirts), The Spice Shop, Friend of the Hendersonville Library Bookstore (NEW in the last 6 months). Hen Dough
Hickory: Taste Full Beans Coffeehouse and Cafe, Hickory Community Theatre, Patrick Beaver Memorial Library, and Hickory Wine Shop
Monroe: Franklin Court Grill, East Frank Superette and Kitchen, Cork Ale
Raleigh: Oberlin Regional Library, The Raleigh Times, and Cary Library
Southern Pines: Weymouth Center for the Arts and Humanities, The Country Bookshop, The Pilot newspaper
Sparta: Alleghany County Public Library, Muddy Creek Music Hall, Three Crows Metalworks, The Cellar on Evergreen
Waxhaw: Waxhaw Reading Room, Burney’s Bakery, Waxhaw Antique Mart, Dreamchasers, Capricci’s True Italian, Provisions Waxhaw, Wingate University Library & Wingate University Resource Center
Wilmington: Pomegranate Books, The Roasted Bookery, Wilmington Arts Council, Salty Dog Yoga and Surf (Carolina Beach)
Submissions
Poetry in Plain Sight is open to any poet who is a current resident of North Carolina. The submission period will run from September 1st to September 30th in 2025. Submissions are free to paid-up adult members of the NC Poetry Society and poets 18 and under; it’s $5 for non-members using the Donate button on the bottom of this page.
A donation to the program is an option with the same button. Donations fund poster printing, mailing, and exciting expansions of the program.
Each poet can submit one time in the submission cycle; a link to the form will be provided a few days prior to the submission period opening. Format 1-3 poems into A SINGLE document, .doc or .docx file type. Adhere to the guidelines provided below.
Click here to submit your poems.
Guidelines
We’re looking for poems that catch the eye and are accessible to a wide range of readers. Poems with “breathing room” (plenty of white space) are more appropriate for our medium.
Line length should not exceed 40 characters (that’s about 4.5 inches in 12-point type). Poems must be under 20 lines, including line breaks.
There’s no restriction on theme, but poem content should be suitable for readers of all ages.
Previously published poems are acceptable, as long as proper accreditation is provided in the submission.
The NC Poetry Society appreciates donations to the program, and all contributions will go solely to support PIPS in future years. Please indicate the purpose of your payment on the NOTES or INSTRUCTIONS FOR SELLER line in your PayPal transaction.