Maj Ragain Poetry Park

With generous support from the Ragain family and the Ragain Charitable Fund, the Maj Ragain Poetry Park was dedicated on September 14, 2023 to honor the legacy of beloved poet, mentor, and Kent State distinguished alumnus and professor Maj Ragain.

Residing in the heart of the Lefton Esplanade greenway, the Poetry Park offers an outdoor gallery with changeable display kiosks featuring Traveling Stanzas — poems by Wick Poetry Center authors, school children, 5X�� students and the Northeast Ohio community. This rotating display of poetry posters, which was the brainchild of the Wick Poetry Center, in collaboration with School of Visual Communication Design Professor Valora Renicker, adds a lively and interactive component to the park.

The landscaped park is an inviting space to gather with friends or sit alone for reflection and inspiration. It offers a tangible, physical expression — like the Lefton Esplanade itself — of the creative Portrait of Bob Wick connection between 5X�� and the surrounding community. It provides a setting for public events that bring the university and town together and is a gathering place for many, including visitors to the esplanade, the 5X�� Hotel and Conference Center and nearby retail establishments. The centerpiece of the poetry park is a 50-seat performance amphitheater and specially commissioned 12-foot bronze sculpture by artist and Wick Poetry Center co-founder Robert Wick (pictured above).