Parks & Points & Poetry 2021

Parks & Points & Poetry 2021

In April of 2021, we will again host our annual online poetry series in honor of National Poetry Month. We invite poetry submissions that reflect upon nature, outdoor exploration, and accompanying moments of adventurousness or self-reflection. The guidelines for submission and the FAQ are as follows:

Guidelines

Submit 1-3 poems, the name of the location (park, public land, or designated outdoor space) that inspired the poem or poems, and a short bio to amy@parksandpoints.com, anytime between March 8, 2021 and March 31, 2021. Please submit all of your work in ONE email. Copy and paste into the email body is preferred, though attachments are also acceptable.

FAQ

1. Does my work need to be about a U.S. national park?

No. Although we cover national parks on Parks & Points, this series is about exploring and celebrating the power of nature and the outdoors, and poems can be inspired by a variety of venues and landscapes. That said, we will include the name of the location with each published poem, be it a national park, forest, lakeshore or seashore, a state park or natural area, or an outdoor urban space, so please include this information with your submission.

2. Can I submit just one poem?

Yes! You can submit one poem you love, or up to three (3).

3.  When will I know if my work has been accepted for publication?
 
We intend to let writers know during the first week of April, give or take a day or two depending on the volume of last minute submissions.

4. Can I publish my work elsewhere if it is published on Parks & Points?

You retain the rights to your work, but we ask that you credit Parks & Points as the first publisher in subsequent publications of the same poem(s).

5. Will I be compensated?
 
We will offer an honorarium of $10 per published poem.

More questions? Email amy@parksandpoints.com.

Discover and read poems from the Parks & Points & Poetry series

"Back to School" Shopping Portal Bonuses

Four of the major airline shopping portals are running what has become a yearly “back to school” promotion. It’s a great time to get some easy bonus miles, by shopping now for items that you’ve planned to purchase for fall. Use these four portals for your everyday online shopping. If you’re interested in learning more about shopping portals, take a look at our quick guide here. We use them as a way to get extra miles buying things we’d otherwise purchase.

Here’s a quick run what’s available on the portals, with most of the deals good until August 18th, except for Delta's bonus which ends on August 3. See below for the details on each airline's offering.

Southwest

American

United

Delta

You could end up with 8,000 bonus miles if you maxed out the promos, these are on top of the miles you are already earning through the portal and also on top of the miles from your credit card. It's a triple dip!

Banner image, Weir Farm National Historic Site, by Derek Wright.

Parks & Points Celebrates Its First Anniversary

Today we are marking the first anniversary of Parks & Points. The website grew from our love of national parks, smart travel strategies, and a desire to share our passions with others. Over the course of the last year, we’ve made many new friends (especially with our Twitter pals each Wednesday night during #ParkChat) and had many opportunities to meet new friends in person. In our first year we have traveled to National Parks Service sites in Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Montana, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Utah, Virginia, and Washington.

Along the way, we have met fellow travelers and shared our passion for exploring natural and historical wonders.  We have found folks who share this passion at hotels, campgrounds, visitor centers, trails and of course, waterfalls! We’ve added National Wildlife Refuges to our itineraries, and hope to feature these with even more frequency as we progress, along with city and state parks. We’re also proud to present and develop an annual fall essay contest and a spring poetry series, which is ongoing right now, during National Poetry Month. Both projects have introduced us to some amazing guest writers and their creative work about public lands.

We look forward to continuing this adventure with all of you. We are excited to grow the site along with your readership, and we look forward to presenting our thoughts and strategies for visiting our amazing shared public lands with an eye to saving money.

Parks & Points wouldn’t be the same without our friends and families. We are grateful for their solidarity as we carry it forward into year two!