We, as a public, even as a literary public, are not always in a state of preparation, so frames matter. One cannot always be ready to be moved. Its true that soldiers have been known to keep poems in their breastpockets. Captives have been known to feed off of memorized poems for survival. So we know that a work will live anywhere, anyhow, if it is so sorely needed. But most of us, who do not live so clearly on the edge, need a little help if a poem is to find its way into our daily business.
We were blessed with this super cool write up from NYT reporterDusica Sue Malesivic this past April for National Poetry Month: There is no velvet rope to traverse, no waiting in line and no entrance fee. Instead, the poets take their works to New Yorkers: on trains and ferries, in stores, on the street, and in parks and laundromats. The poets call themselves, appropriately enough, Poets in Unexpected Places. For almost three years, the five core members — the founders Samantha Thornhill, Jon Sands and Adam Falkner, along with Syreeta McFadden and Elana Bell — have used their ties to a thriving poetry slam community to encourage other wordsmiths to deliver their works in public. And it got ridiculous more generous with this awesome video by videographer and journalist, Mayeta Clark! And then, we were just pinching ourselves when we copped a copy of the print edition to see these...