All Mercedes wants is to do her job: capturing behind-the-scenes shots for a cheesy horror movie sequel shot in Manayunk with her conspiracy-theorist camerawoman, Bernice. But travelers beware; the deceptively beautiful Manayunk Canal may have other ideas… Nature fights back in this cryptozoology-meets-The-Blair-Witch-Project horror story — River Devil II: The Return.

This story was written by Carmen Maria Machado for the Schuylkill River Trail in Manayunk. Machado is the author of the memoir In the Dream House, the graphic series The Low, Low Woods, and the short story collection Her Body and Other Parties. She has been a finalist for the National Book Award and the winner of the Bard Fiction Prize, the Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Fiction, the Lambda Literary Award for LGBTQ Nonfiction, the Brooklyn Public Library Literature Prize, the Shirley Jackson Award, and the National Book Critics Circle's John Leonard Prize. In 2018, the New York Times listed Her Body and Other Parties as a member of "The New Vanguard," one of "15 remarkable books by women that are shaping the way we read and write fiction in the 21st century." Her essays, fiction, and criticism have appeared in the New Yorker, the New York Times, Granta, Vogue, This American Life, Harper’s Bazaar, Tin House, McSweeney's Quarterly Concern, The Believer, Guernica, Best American Science Fiction & Fantasy, Best American Nonrequired Reading, and elsewhere. She lives in Philadelphia and is the Abrams Artist-in-Residence at the University of Pennsylvania.

TRAIL NOTES: Low to medium difficulty, point to point, pavement and gravel, no inclines, heavy foot traffic, watch out for bikes

TRAIL LENGTH: 1.9 miles

GPS: 40.024125, -75.222195

In the late 1950's as part of Urban Renewal, Philadelphia displaced over 8,000 residents from Eastwick aka The Meadows. The area was one of Philly’s only harmoniously integrated neighborhoods at a time when many racist housing policies were legal. In The Land Remembers, Nick (aka Nickel, aka Abe aka Abraham) reminisces about his last days living there.

The Land Remembers was written by Jacob Winterstein for the Heinz Wildlife Refuge. Jacob is an artist, event producer and educator from Philadelphia. Through performance art, poetry and events, Jacob's work explores how we have been separated from and how we can joyfully connect with each other and our environments. Jacob is the co-founder of The Philly Pigeon collective which organizes poetry slams, multi-media productions, workshops and artists retreats. Jacob is currently attempting a pilgrimage, bicycling down every block in Philadelphia. Follow along on Instagram @everyblockinphilly.

TRAIL NOTES: Medium difficulty, loop, gravel and dirt, small inclines, light foot traffic

TRAIL LENGTH: 1.8 miles

TRAIL COORDINATES: 39.89214350541934, -75.25720996839256

In a country built on dams holding back what we cannot bear, how do we begin to pull out the stones and let the water run through? The Way Sand Wants for Water is an ode to healing, a guided history of the land that reveals itself in poetry. Notice, breathe, and wander through a journey as fluid as the river that runs alongside it in this lesson on loss and what’s truly in the water.

The Way Sand Wants for Water was written by afaq for the Cooper River Trail. afaq is a Philly-based daughter, with grandmother tendencies. Assembled in Yemen (from Sudanese parts) afaq considers themself a global citizen of their own country. This international award-winning poet, museum exhibiting photographer, activist, and educator seeks to love the world until it loves them back. They have collaborated with Netflix, PEN America, Beautycon Media, Poetry Out Loud, the Barnes Foundation, and several universities including NYU, Columbia, and UPenn. Continuously targeted and previously arrested for their activism, afaq uses their art, experiences, and the violence they has witnessed to combat injustice while spreading messages of empathy and change.

TRAIL NOTES: Low difficulty, out and back, pavement with optional off-trail dirt exploration, no inclines, light foot traffic

TRAIL LENGTH: 1.1 miles

GPS: 39.934773, -75.084528

Confronted with ancestral ghosts and demons of her own making, poor Trenton is having a very, very bad day. Avoid that bubbling water and find some damn shoes alongside a sarcastic heroine who overcomes monsters of land, water and maybe even her own self-doubt in the comically inspired The Inside Outside.

The Inside Outside was written by Erin T. McMillon for the D&L Trail. Erin is an urban horror and suspense author, blogger and artist from Trenton, NJ. Her work has been viewed and purchased by readers and curators from around the world. She is the author of several books (What’s Hiding in the Dark?: 10 Tales of Urban Lore, They Eat: An Episodic Zombie Thriller, and he Abducted), with a forthcoming book, Simone. Erin can be found on Facebook and Instagram @TheLadyWrites82 and www.amazon.com/author/erinmcmillon.

TRAIL NOTES: Low difficulty, point to point, gravel, no inclines, moderate foot traffic, watch for bikes

TRAIL LENGTH: 1.2 miles

GPS: 40.359812, -74.949878

The flow of human history, like the water rushing to the sea, cannot be easily contained. Like truth, it defies our efforts to bury, divert, or ignore it. It overflows its banks, sometimes leaking in tiny trickles; sometimes erupting violently to the surface. Deeply Routed travels to places near and far, connected by these waterways, branching off like so many tributaries that flow to the Delaware River.

Deeply Routed was written by Denise Valentine for the Tacony Creek Trail. Denise was a Master Storyteller, historical performer, consultant and the founder of the Philadelphia Middle Passage Ceremony & Port Marker Project. Denise was a storyteller of lost and found histories of the African Diaspora. Her signature Historytelling integrated archival research, folk heritage and oral history for performance and exhibition and demonstrated the role of expressive cultural arts in sustaining community. Denise presented worldwide for audiences of all ages at schools, libraries and museums. She worked as an educator for the Museum of the American Revolution. She also served as advisor to the curatorial team of the new Early American Art Galleries of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

TRAIL NOTES: Medium to high difficulty, point to point, pavement and gravel, moderate inclines, light foot traffic, watch for bikes.

TRAIL LENGTH: 3.2 miles

GPS: 40.016662, -75.107831

Diving into themes of ancestry, colonialism and race, Conversations imagines discussions that arise with the indigenous Nanticoke' Lenni-Lenape people of past, present and future. The water of the Delaware River brings age-old questions to the surface: beckoning listeners to question, be aware of, and learn about the land they move through.

Conversations was written by Jacob Camacho for the K&T Trail with help from Trinity Norwood. Born and raised in Guåhan, Islan Marianas, Jacob is a Chamoru writer, educator, and activist. He received his Creative Writing MFA from Rutgers University, Camden. He is an alumnus of The University of Guam and UCLA's Extension Writers Program. Currently, he’s a Lead Teacher at All Things Are Possible Foundation in Willingboro, NJ and Lead Educator for the Move Mountains Project in San Luis, CO. He is currently a Visiting Assistant Professor at Stockton University, teaching Intro to Creative Writing and Spoken Word. His poem, “Kao siña hao fumino' Chamoru?,” is in University of Hawai'i Press' Indigenous Literatures from Micronesia.

TRAIL NOTES: Low difficulty, point to point, pavement, no inclines, moderate foot traffic

TRAIL LENGTH: 2.2 miles

GPS: 40.005546, -75.058157

Set in future Philadelphia circa 2045 on the eve of a major cosmic event, Chronicles of Asylum follows savvy young journalist Liliquoi Brown as she investigates an otherworldly urban myth in hopes of finding two missing visitors to a refugee camp on the Schuylkill River. Exploring survival and sacrifice, home and exile, humanity’s fate and hope for the future, Chronicles follows the path of this unexpected trailblazer.

Chronicles of Asylum was written by Li Sumpter for the Schuylkill River Trail at Bartrams Garden. Li is a mythologist and multidisciplinary artist based in Philly. She employs strategies of world-building, D.I.Y. media, Afrofuturism and gameplay to cultivate eco-awareness and community action around the “art of survival.” Li’s artistic practice and collaborative design initiatives address existential threats to mind, body and spirit through speculative tools and sustainability projects that illuminate symbols and patterns of change. She was the 2017 Artist-in-Residence for Haverford College's Urban Ecology Arts Exchange and the 2018-2019 Leeway x NextFab Art and Technology Artist-in-Residence. Li strongly believes hope and the power of myth are catalysts of personal and collective transformation.

Trail notes: medium difficulty, point to point, dirt and pavement, small inclines, light foot traffic

Trail length: 1.6 miles

GPS: 39.940466, -75.206364

Appear to Me (aka A Pier to Me) mashes together the past and present itinerant denizens of the Delaware River’s piers. Filled with a dreamy troubadour spirit, rough songs and honest conversation swirl through these untold tales of the waterfront, narrated by feral cats channeling the hobo poet W. H. Davies, radical dock workers, Lenape boaters, cruisers, fishing teens, even talking litter, each simply seeking a moment of respite.

Appear to Me was written by Eppchez! for the Delaware River Trail. Eppchez! is a Quaker, gender expansive, Cuban & Jewish theater maker, musician, and designer. Ey has lived in Philadelphia writing plays and performing for the past 6 years. In 2012, ey started the production company Alma's Engine; a process-focused creative ministry developing new work across a variety of genres and media; spreading whimsical and earnest dis-ease. To explore more of Eppchez's work visit www.almasengine.com

TRAIL NOTES: Medium difficulty, point to point, pavement with optional off-trail dirt exploration, no inclines, light foot traffic

TRAIL LENGTH: 1.6 miles

GPS: 39.924790, -75.140491

Told through the voice of a young poet collecting memories and reflections in a notebook, A Sycamore’s Psalm explores care-giving, family dynamics, loss, and roots of every kind. Travel with young Nehet – named after a tree – as she journeys through a diasporic legacy of Egypt, both ancient and contemporary, while encountering the history of the Perkiomen Creek and Trail in this gathering of lyric verse honoring loved ones present and past.

A Sycamore’s Psalm was written by donia salem harhoor for the Perkiomen Creek Trail. donia salem harhoor (she/her) is an Egyptian-American bibliophile. Executive Director of The Outlet Dance Project, founder of the Duniya Collective, she is a principal dancer and choreographer with Sakshi Productions. In 2019, harhoor became Grounds For Sculpture's inaugural Performing Artist in Residence. An alumna of Community of Writers, Open Mouth Poetry Retreat, Urban Bush Women’s Summer Leadership Institute, and Swim Pony's Cross Pollination residency, she is a member of the Brown Girl in the Ring Collective. Her poetry has appeared in Anomaly, Ballet Review, and Sukoon magazines, the Written Here Poetry Review, and is forthcoming in an anthology of Arab love poems. An ardent believer in game nights, donia has an MFA in Interdisciplinary Art from Goddard College. donia can be found at doniasalemharhoor.com.

TRAIL NOTES: Medium to high difficulty, point to point, paved and gravel, moderate inclines, moderate foot traffic, watch for bikes

TRAIL LENGTH: 2.6 miles

GPS: 40.291147, -75.453191

Emotionally-driven poetry meets queer LatinX experience in this drama when Luz, a trans teen just killed in a car crash, meets Dog – the god of Death tasked to bring her to the underworld. In Where the Light Won’t Go, discover a vibrant world sitting just behind the surface of human existence.

Where the Light Won’t Go was written by ari for the Chester Valley Trail. ari is a spoken word poet and educator based in North Philly who began their career writing erotic fan fiction and large scale games of Dungeons and Dragons. Their work focuses on the intersectionality of queer identity, trauma, and the Latin experience as an outsider. ari is a member of the deadname collective and an alum of Babel collective. They have been featured in Bedfellows and Paperback and on the Philly poetry show, Drop The Mic. ari is currently looking to adopt a large cat whom they can name King Bastard.

TRAIL NOTES: Medium to high difficulty, point to point (with short out & back section at the end), pavement and dirt, moderate inclines, heavy foot traffic, watch out for bikes

TRAIL LENGTH: 2.6 miles

GPS: 40.06345, -75.4635