TOLEDO, OH, January 27, 2025: It is time to send us poems inspired by your ZIP Code. Entries are currently being accepted for the tenth annual Ode to the ZIP Code poetry contest, a partnership of The Fair Housing Center, The Arts Commission, Toledo Lucas County Public Library, Toledo City Paper, and Toledo Area Parent. This free poetry contest invites local residents to submit short poems inspired by their ZIP Code, where the number of words in each line of the poem is determined by the corresponding digit of their ZIP Code. All ages and neighborhoods are welcome.
Entries will be accepted January 27, 2025, through February 24, 2025, at https://toledocitypaper.com/the-city/ode-to-the-zip-code-2025.
Poems must be 5 lines each, with the number of words in each line determined by the corresponding digit in your zip code.
Sample of last year’s
1st place adult winner:
4 The sidewalk on Grantwood
3 gently curves around
6 the trunk of an old tree.
1 I
3 too must bend.
Participants can contact their Library for help completing the online form.
Winners selected from youth (11 and under), young adult (12-17), and adult (18 and older) categories will be awarded CASH PRIZES.
Top poems will also be published in Toledo City Paper. All entries will be judged, and finalists will be featured in a special event in April.
April is both National Poetry Month and Fair Housing Month. The Ode to the ZIP Code event is a fun and creative way to engage the community in talking about how our life experiences are shaped by where we live. Inspiration for the contest came from the O, Miami Poetry Festival and WLRN-Miami Herald News, the originators of the “zip ode” concept.
The Fair Housing Center
Vision
Toledo Fair Housing Center is a civil rights agency dedicated to the elimination of housing discrimination and to its effects on individuals and communities.
Mission
Toledo Fair Housing Center is a non-profit civil rights agency dedicated to the elimination of housing discrimination, the promotion of housing choice and the creation of inclusive communities of opportunity. To achieve our mission, the center engages in education and outreach, housing counseling, advocacy for anti-discriminatory housing policies, research and investigation, and enforcement actions.
The work that provided the basis for this publication was supported by funding under a grant with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The substance and findings of the work are dedicated to the public. The author and publisher are solely responsible for the accuracy of the statements and interpretations contained in this publication. Such interpretations do not necessarily reflect the views of the Federal Government.