Robert Barsky highlights Atlanta’s history and arts culture while giving back to the community
For those experiencing writer’s block, or just looking for inspiration, journeying outside and spending time in nature may be the answer. The natural world has a cadence that helps us relax and refocus, allowing creativity to flow.
This was the case for Professor of French and Comparative Literature Robert Barsky, who completed a solo bicycle trip across Europe after college. Along the way, he wrote poetry inspired by his travels. Years later, Barsky would draw on this experience as he embarked on a new project to tell the story of the transformative Atlanta Beltline, a 22-mile multi-use trail on a former railway track that encircles the core of Atlanta, Georgia.
During a time when racial discrimination was legal, Atlanta’s neighborhoods were intentionally segregated through urban planning and housing policies. While these issues still affect the city and its traffic patterns today, the Beltline aims to bring communities together by providing a pathway that connects 45 neighborhoods, making it one of the largest, most wide-ranging urban redevelopment programs in the U.S.
Barsky has always had a passion for public spaces, public transportation, and parks, and has written extensively about people questing across borders for protection, adventure, or treasure. After visiting the Beltline for the first time in 2020, he was amazed to see all of his interests combined in a way that encourages creativity and connection.
“To see people of all ages exploring, traveling, and seeking adventure on a 22-mile urban pathway was, for me, a vision of what’s possible, and also what can be achieved, even on the shadow of an abandoned railway track,” he said.
Barsky immediately began to research the pathway, which took him down a road that covered Atlanta’s history, its neighborhoods, the train line, and the development of the Beltline.
His research led to the idea of creating a narrative along the trail that would tell the story of the city, its inhabitants, and its rich arts culture, while drawing attention to critical social justice issues and historical memories that are core to Atlanta’s identity.
Five years later, his work culminated in a 121-page illustrated poem called The Beltline Chronicles, which follows the fictional poet George as he wanders the Beltline, reflecting upon great literary quests from the past, and encountering art installations, people, and stories that shape his journey. The book features artwork from Atlanta-based artist Susan Ker-Seymer.
Barsky received funding for the book from the Atlanta Mayor’s Office, Art on the Atlanta Beltline, the College of Arts and Science, and the Jean and Alexander Heard Libraries. With this funding, Barsky has made the first 1,000 copies free with a donation to organizations that assist people experiencing homelessness.
“My scholarly work has always been connected to the plight of vulnerable persons, including people experiencing homelessness, undocumented migrants, and refugees,” Barsky said. “I am glad this work allows me to give back to those causes while also providing important information to people about vulnerable communities, and the amazing individuals and organizations who are trying to assist them in living full lives.”
Portions of the poem, featuring artworks by Ker-Seymer and Nashville-based artist Lauren McKee, BA’23, are currently displayed on four mounted signs along the Beltline trail. The poem will also be highlighted in October at the Southern Festival of Books in Nashville.
In thinking about what he hopes readers take away from his project, Barsky said he wants to inspire others to embark upon their own journeys of exploration and discovery, and to acknowledge that crossing borders is central to the human experience.
“Cities throughout the country have been divided up, fenced in, torn apart, and segregated for reasons of race, class, and the separation of private from public spaces,” Barsky said. “Through the Beltline, schoolchildren can walk safely along a public pathway, alongside strollers, shoppers, tourists, and friends who are out enjoying their city without the impediments of cars, fences, boundaries, or private property. In a once segregated city, and in a city where travel by road still bears the history of enforced borders, this is a powerful, healing and uplifting project, and a beacon for what’s possible. It’s fun to quest along the Beltline, and I think that such voyages inspire us to seek out and support other greenways and rails-to-trails efforts all through the country, and around the world.”
