Nashville’s public transit passengers will experience the sights and sounds of local poetry during their commutes next month, as Poetry in Motion® returns to the city’s buses. Metro Arts and WeGo Public Transit have partnered to bring winning poems from local students and adults to WeGo’s dedicated customers for an immersive experience on a dedicated Poetry Bus throughout April, National Poetry Month.
“We’re proud of our long-time partnership with Metro Arts in bringing Poetry in Motion month to life. It gives us the opportunity to inspire moments of connectivity and joy for our riders, and share the talents of our local youth poets with the city,” said Steve Bland CEO of WeGo. “It’s just another way we strive to elevate the experiences of communities we serve.”
Created in 1992 by the Poetry Society of America, Poetry in Motion® highlights classic and contemporary poetry in public transit vehicles. The program has appeared in more than 30 cities, including Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia and Washington D.C., making its debut on WeGo Public Transit vehicles in 2012. This year, Nashville’s seventh to participate, marks the city’s largest celebration of Poetry in Motion® to date.
Metro Arts partnered with Southern Word and The Porch Writers’ Collective to engage students and adults in poetry contests. Award-winning poems from both groups will be displayed on a Poetry Bus completely wrapped in the winning poems, in onboard displays, and interpreted via illustrated artwork installed on ten WeGo transit shelters throughout Nashville.
Nashvillians will have an opportunity to tour the Poetry Bus, view winning poems from students and adults, and hear readings Southern Word at the Poetry in Motion® Celebration Day, 4-6 p.m. on April 16, 2018, at WeGo Central.
“We believe every Nashvillian should have access to a creative life,” said Metro Arts Executive Director Caroline Vincent. “Our Poetry in Motion partnership with WeGo lives into that goal by involving Nashville’s youth and adults in creating poetry that the whole city can enjoy, and by activating everyday public spaces with art.”