Boca Raton is calling on its citizens to rhyme their way into history as the city gears up for its 100th birthday bash. The sunny Florida city, in a team-up with the poetry organization O, Miami, has launched the "Ode to Boca" campaign, urging locals to wax poetic about their home turf using their zip codes as a muse. Boca's aspiring poets can submit their tributes to the city's website, with 100 standout pieces slated to be transformed into public art next year, as per a city statement.
The Centennial is not just about parties and parades; it's a full-on lyrical love fest. Poems like Nick Kalpakjian's ode praising Boca's parks and schools or Nancy Sail's playful capture of neighborhood avocado theft reflect the personal ties residents have to their city. "We want to hear from you, our residents, as part of this centennial, so that the people who live here are writing the poetic narrative of Boca Raton at 100 years," said Boca Raton Mayor Scott Singer, showing his own poetic chops with a tribute to the city's spirit of unity and potential, as noted in the announcement by the City of Boca Raton.
While some might scoff at the idea of government dabbling in the arts, Boca Raton's initiative is more than just a flight of fancy. It's a part of O, Miami’s Civic Publishing projects, which leverage the creative expressions of citizens to craft a narrative for their community. These aren't just poems slapped on a page; they're voices rising up in meter and verse, claiming space on everything from parking tickets to warehouse roofs, creating a unique, poetically-painted portrait of the cityscape.
Cunningham, a Boca Raton native at the helm of O, Miami, praised the initiative. "Arts and culture are a powerful tool in forging community, and I can’t wait to read all of the brilliant poems that the people of Boca are going to craft," he expressed, capturing the sentiment behind the civic-literary enterprise. Boca's cultural richness belies its size — no sleepy beach town, with its corporate hubs, environmental stewardship, and thriving academia, as the city's literature boasts.
Submissions for the Ode to Boca are already open, igniting the imaginations of Boca Raton's residents. As the centennial draws closer, these poetic endeavors will culminate into much more than a celebration of a city's birthday, they will stand as a lasting homage to the shared experience and adoration held by its community, encapsulating the spirit of Boca Raton in verse and vision.
