Poems While You Wait

We are always looking to introduce new and unique experiences to the festival to help make your day a little more memorable. This year we're proud to introduce POEMS WHILE YOU WAIT, the brainchild of Unbound guest, novelist, critic, and poet, Kathleen Rooney.

The idea of Poems While You Wait is simple enough. There will be a team of poets amassed behind manual typewriters in the foyer of the Macklanburg Playhouse throughout the day on Saturday. Tell them what you would like them to compose a poem about - you can be as general or as specific as you like - and by the time your event is over, a hand-typed, custom-made, one-of-a-kind original poem will be waiting for you - either to keep for yourself or to give as a gift. Either way, it will be a unique memento of this year’s festival. All for this the princely sum of $5, which goes to benefit the wonderful independent (and not-for-profit) publisher, Rose Metal Press.

Kathleen and her cohorts have been spreading this brand of poetic love around the country since 2011. For more examples of their work, check out their Tumblr feed here.