Mark di Suvero reading poetry in his studio. Watch video recordings of di Suvero’s poetry readings at tippetrise.org. Video still courtesy Tippet Rise Art Center.
\nWe’re rounding out National Poetry Month and celebrating Poem-In-Your-Pocket Day 2020 with a poem by Socrates’ founder, artist Mark di Suvero; a Q&A with poet and the Park’s Director of Public Programs, Audrey Dimola; and a few Socrates staff members’ favorite poems!
\nParco di Scultura di Socrate
\nBy Mark di Suvero
\nDreamtime by the rivers’ edge,
\nwith skyscrapers’ skyline matching
\nclouds’
\nfeeds the inner eye; root to the tree of art.<\/p>\n
Because we changed this garbage-
\nland into a sculpture park
\nthe people of this community live
\nwith new hope<\/p>\n
These are the dimensions of art, of
\nsculpture, of jazz;
\nto give us the energy of hope, the
\nembrace of paradox, the
\novercoming of despair.<\/p>\n
These our sculptures are made to
\nwake us to an ecstatic life of the
\nspirit.<\/p>\n
Q&A with poet Audrey Dimola<\/p>\n
Dimola MC-ing an event at the Park.
\nWhat is your relationship to the Park and how has it evolved over time?
\nI grew up two blocks away from Socrates, so I’ve been playing, dreaming, writing, and running around in the Park since I was a little girl. I turned 30 in 2016, which was serendipitously the same year Socrates had its 30th Anniversary. That summer I was hired by the Park for a seasonal position as Public Programs Coordinator, and then received the incredible opportunity to take over as Director of Public Programs in 2017. Working for Socrates has truly been one of the greatest gifts, joys, and generative challenges of my life.
\nWhen did your interest in poetry begin and how?
\nI’ve been writing poetry since I was a kid! I’m NYC public schooled (proud LIC High School alum) and was always encouraged creatively by my teachers and also by my mom. After college, I began curating\u00a0events in NYC \u2013 mixing spoken word, music, art, theatre, and interactive improvisation. This desire to share my own journey, while bringing people together to share theirs in a supportive and open way, has propelled me to embrace the fullness of myself \u2013 not only as a poet and artist, but as a community connector and space-holder.
\nHow does poetry inform your work at the Park?
\nPoetry reminds me that I can choose to create the meaning that imbues my life\u00a0with purpose, hope, connection, and truth. For me, Socrates is a living poem. The Park was\u00a0founded\u00a0by\u00a0spirited fellow poetry lover, Mark di Suvero, and it\u00a0continues to evolve and grow moment by moment, year by year, thanks to the vibrantly diverse community that comes together here.
\nOur Favorite Poems
\nEnjoy poems selected by member of Socrates’ staff\u2013 <\/p>\n
In a Tree House\u2013
\nBy Hafiz
\nSelected by Audrey Dimola, Director of Public Programs
\nUntitled\u2013
\nBy Muhammad Ali
\nSelected by Malaika Langa, Director of Finance & Administration
\nSteps\u2013
\nBy Frank O’Hara
\nSelected by Julia Metro, Director of Development & Communications
\nThis Is Just to Say\u2013
\nBy William Carlos Williams
\nSelected by Sara Morgan, Communications & Marketing Manager
\nUntitled Lists of Transformation\u2013
\nBy Sculpture Studio Participants
\nSelected by Douglas Paulson, Lead Educator
\nI taste a liquor never brewed (214)\u2013
\nBy Emily Dickinson
\nSelected by Jess Wilcox, Curator & Director of Exhibitions
\nYour Favorite Poems
\nWe’d love to read and share your favorite poems or poems you’ve written \u2013 especially if they’re about the Park! Please send submissions to info@socratessculpturepark.org with the subject line “Poem In Your Pocket.”<\/p>","protected":false},"featured_media":7168,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"event-category":[],"class_list":["post-7167","event","type-event","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/socratessculpturepark-2026.kudos.nyc\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/event\/7167","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/socratessculpturepark-2026.kudos.nyc\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/event"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/socratessculpturepark-2026.kudos.nyc\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/event"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/socratessculpturepark-2026.kudos.nyc\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7168"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/socratessculpturepark-2026.kudos.nyc\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7167"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"event-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/socratessculpturepark-2026.kudos.nyc\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/event-category?post=7167"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}