Last weekend on September 29, a plaque commemorating Lois Marie Harrod’s poem “The Spineless” was unveiled on the Scott and Hella McVay Poetry Trail  at the D&R Greenway, in Princeton. A sizeable gathering hiked up to hear Lois read her poem, and refreshments were then served on the King Terrace, where congratulatory remarks were made by Princeton Mayor Liz Lempert. Two master artisans were also recognized, woodworker David Robinson, who produced eight benches for the trail, and sign maker George Zienowicz, who has done all fifty of the poetry plaques. “The Spineless” celebrates nature with a wink to our own humanity. This is the 50th poem on the Scott and Hella McVay Poetry Trail that now has equal representation by men and women spanning centuries of thought.

A Dodge poet, 3-time recipient of a New Jersey Council on the Arts fellowship, 5-time recipient of fellowships to the Virginia Center for Creative Arts, Lois has spent her life writing and teaching. Resident of Hopewell borough since 1972, she is the author of 16 books of poetry and is widely published in literary journals and online ezines from American Poetry Review to Zone 3. Read her online work at http://www.loismarieharrod.org.