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Poetry Society of America

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Diary of a Billsticker – Manhanttan, USA

This small poster run of about fifty posters happened after a Phantom Billstickers delegation met with the good people from the Poetry Society of America. From memory, most of the posters were of Brian Turner’s fine poem “Keep it Up.” I just found it good fun to be out with a staple gun.

Manhattan, New York City, what do we know of it? Two members of “Bailter Space” live in Manhattan. Bailter Space is New Zealand’s finest band of its genre and I really don’t know if there is another band anywhere that fits into that genre. Bailter Space created it and did it so well.

Of course, many fine writers and artists of all types came from or lived in New York City. New York City is where artists gravitate to and it lifts them up. There are too many names to list. I think everyone knows that this is a very creative town. It gave us the Ramones, Delmore Schwarz, William Burroughs, Patti Smith, Bob Dylan, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Andy Warhol. But if you really got into a list, then it would never stop.

There’s just something about the place. It is just so compelling.

Keep the Faith,
Jim Wilson

15a

Diary of a Billsticker – New Hampshire and Vermont, USA

I’m from New Zealand so it’s possible I’ll get some of the towns and city names wrong that were covered on this poster run for NZ poetry posters.

We stayed in Perkinsville, Vermont and travelled out to:

In Vermont:
– Chester (Where there is a great bookstore called Misty Valley Books, the owner of which put us on to a fine local poet called Michael Palma)
– Weston
– Ludlow
– Windsor (Where I came across a general store selling NZ Swanndri bush shirts and a bloke who had actually heard the names ‘Dan Carter’ and ‘Richie McCaw’ – Kiwis abroad speak those names often)
– Bellows Falls
– Andover
– Springfield

In New Hampshire:
– Cornish
– White River Junction
– Hanover
– Lebanon

It was my sheer and extreme pleasure to be carrying with me Ben Brown poetry posters (The Door). I wouldn’t do this if I didn’t think Ben of Lyttelton had spade-loads of raw talent. Every time I put a poem poster on a lamp-post or a notice board, I am aware that I have at least three effects: on the poet himself (I believe in him), on a potential audience (so nice to be reading a poem in the streets) and on myself (my blood flows).

The week following this poster run we had a great meeting with Alice Quinn from the Poetry Society of America. Whilst in Manhattan for that meeting, I managed to get a few Brian Turner and Sam Hunt poetry posters up. These are very fine NZ poets. Let’s take this to the world, eh? Or do what we can.

 

Keep the Faith,

 

Jim Wilson

15b