Poetry on the Streets / Bringing People's Words into Public Spaces & Engaging Communities Through Stories. Founded by Melanie Pappadis Faranello in CT. - Poetry on the Streets: Everyone Has a Story, Everyone Has a Poem Inside

a collage of four photos showing people on the street writing poetry, one woman at a typewriter, one woman at a bus stop, one man holding his poem up on sidewalk, three people on a bench

An artist-led practice creating invitations for self-expression and connection in everyday public spaces.

How many strangers do we pass by each day? How many stories, memories, hopes, fears, dreams...What if we stopped to listen?

Poetry on the Streets is an artist-led public practice by writer, Melanie Faranel lo. The practice began In 2017 by setting up a typewriter around the city—street corners, bus stops, parks— and inviting strangers to stop, reflect, and write a poem based on a human emotion.

From different walks of life, people wrote about love, loss, pain, hope, joy...

Strangers shared emotions, stories, and moments of unexpected connection.

Poetry on the Streets evolved, developing projects that continue to Invite, Listen, Honor, Share, Preserve communities voices.

Each project centers an invitation for everyday people to pause, reflect, express themselves, and then in sharing these words back through public art as a way to recognize each other's shared humanity, bringing people's words into public spaces, reminders of our interconnectedness and honoring each person's story.

Explore these pages to view the many projects created, including poetry murals, bus wraps, public exhibits, transit stories, refugee stories, and more. And stay tuned for the new developments, including the Writer for Public Life initiative.