AWC’s Poetry Machine
Pay attention the next time you’re in the grocery store, diner, restroom, or your local gas station… you might encounter one of ACW’s Poetry Machines! In collaboration with Visiting Writer Erin Dorney, we’re repurposing a number of machines to distribute poems and other writing throughout the Adirondack region.
The Poetry Machine is an old capsule machine, the kind you might spend two quarters to get a bouncy ball, sticky hand, or small plastic alien from in the vestibule of a convenience store. With our machine, you can get your very own poem (for free—no quarters necessary).
Where you can find the Poetry Machine
2023:
February 2023 – Chef Darrell’s Mountain Diner (8814 NY-30, Blue Mountain Lake, NY)
March 2023 – Indian Lake Theater (13 W Main St, Indian Lake, NY)
April 2023 – J.F. Farm Store & Cafe (132 N Main St, Northville, NY)
May 2023 – Old Forge Hardware (104 Fulton Street, Old Forge, NY)
June 2023 – Good Ol’ Wishy’s (9779 Main Street, Croghan, NY)
July 2023 – Otto’s Abode (6 Hamele St, Wanakena, NY)
August 2023 – Franklin County Courthouse (355 West Main St, Malone, NY)
September 2023 – Lakeside Coffee Roasters (109 Lake St, Rouses Point, NY)
October 2023 – Keeseville Pharmacy (1730 Front St, Keeseville, NY)
2024:
May 2024 – Richards Library in collaboration with Discover Warrensburg (36 Elm St, Warrensburg, NY)
Interested in hosting the Poetry Machine in your community? Fill out this form and let us know! We are always on the lookout for new North Country location suggestions.
We’re also interested in bringing the Poetry Machine to arts centers and organizations throughout the North Country region, along with writing workshops. If this intrigues you, please get in touch and we will send you an outline of the workshops that our Visiting Writer can lead in your space.
What’s inside?
Inside the Poetry Machine are 10 different poems. Each one features a unique style of poetry, including haiku, cento, epistolary, list, ode, ekphrasis, prose poem, how-to, erasure, and cut-up. We’re excited to feature work by the following writers:
- Julia Bloch – “Dear Kelly [p.43]”
- Erin Dorney – Erasure and cut-up poems
- Camille T. Dungy – “​​this beginning may have always meant this end”
- Ashley M. Jones – “Summer Vacation in the Subjunctive”
- Lillian Klein – “Quarantine Haiku”
- Laurie Kolp – “Carry Me”
- Steven Leyva – “Ode to Lando Calrissian”
- Kathleen Lynch – “How To Build An Owl”
- Sasha Pimentel – “The Kiss”
