Poetry on our windows

The Gloucester Street windows of the Central Library will be wreathed in words next week, leading up to National Poetry Day on Friday 30 July 2010.

Phantom Billstickers are helping us to celebrate the day by pasting Poem Posters on the windows of the library. Poem Posters feature New Zealand and American poems, they can be seen on streets all around the world – and next week they can be seen in Gloucester Street. 

If the posters whet your appetite, come on into the library and check out the books we have by the featured poets. My personal favourite is Tusiata Avia but there will be lots of other poets featured.

• Phantom Billstickers poetry posts on their blog
• Our previous posts on Phantom and Poetry
• Our previous posts on Poetry

Baltimore gets New Zealand poetry

I’ve blogged before about the ultra cool poetry posters planted round Christchurch and other places by the wonderful Phantom Billstickers people.

Now they’ve hit Baltimore, Maryland, USA with Aotearoa’s finest. I love the idea that the home of ‘best tv series ever’ The Wire is playing host to the poetry of Janet Frame, Jay Clarkson, Sandra Bell, last year’s Laureate Michele Leggott and more.

Jim Wilson’s post on the Baltimore Poster Run is a gem, read it and feel the power of ‘Charm City’.

Phantom billstickers do Poetry

You may have spotted a splurge of poetry about town – it’s the Phantom Billstickers Poem Posters 2009. The New Zealand Electronic Poetry Centre reports:

An initiative by poster company Phantom Billstickers puts poems by New Zealand and American poets on the streets as A1 posters. The first four posters were launched in Auckland 2 June by Tusiata Avia, James Milne (aka Lawrence Arabia) and Michele Leggott … The posters will go up in 13 New Zealand cities and in Nashville, Tennessee, where the company is also active. The poems will change monthly and the project will run for six months.

Phantom is also presenting “Poetry on the occasion of Janet Frame’s birthday” at Al’s Bar, 31 Dundas Street, Christchurch on Friday 28 August at 5.30pm. There’ll be refreshments and entry is free.

See the Phantom Billstickers site to find out more about this business that has been keeping citizens informed since 1982 – as musician and writer Bill Direen says: “No people is without art. Phantom Billstickers tell people about it”.