ABOUT

Part literary art, part nostalgia, part public art, poetry vending machines are entirely delightful. A repurposed gumball machine offers a unique take on publishing poetry and public art.

 

It’s an immediate physical encounter. A game and prize, a transaction. People pay for the experience of receiving poetry, a small piece of art, bundled in its own little capsule.  The machine holds nearly 200 poem capsules. This offers the public an array of voices and offers writers, including new and first-time poets, a way to touch a wide-ranging audience outside all the boundaries of the prevalent ways of transmitting and sharing poetry.

 

The Poetry Vending Machine  may inhabit in a variety of locations. It begins at The Arts Council of the Southern Finger Lakes at 79 West Market Street in Corning, New York. I would be delighted to see it in a coffee shop or cafeteria, a bank or a hotel lobby, grocery store or library.

 

This unique presentation of poetry is just one part of the project, the other part is  the invitation to area residents to submit a poem for inclusion. As the machine holds nearly 200 capsules, there are lots of opportunities for participation. This web page, which will include a list of names of participants, titles of their poems and an opportunity for customers to share their impressions and comments, is another part of the project.

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I'm Akua Lezli Hope, an award-winning poet and writer, who hopes to share the joy and beauty of poetry with everyone.

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This activity is made possible in part by the QuickARTS grant program administered by The ARTS Council of the Southern Finger Lakes and funded by the Community Foundation of Elmira-Corning and the Finger Lakes, Inc.