New York poet taps out verse by request on a vintage typewriter set up on busy street

Record ID: 904822

  • Title: New York poet taps out verse by request on a vintage typewriter set up on busy street
  • Date: 1st August 2017
  • Summary: NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (AUGUST 01, 2017) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF NEW YORK STREET POET, ALLAN ANDRE, TYPING ON TYPEWRITER ON STREET CLOSE VIEW OF PAPER IN TYPEWRITER ANDRE READING POEM TO CLIENT (SOUNDBITE) (English) NEW YORK STREET POET, ALLAN ANDRE, SAYING: "I draw on the same sources of inspiration that any poet does, but for this particular exercise, a lot of it is about the stories that I hear, and whatever people bring to me. Like whatever kind of emotional states people are in, whatever stories people are telling me, those kind of go into the poetic inspiration mix and it shapes the poem that comes out." SIGN ON ANDRE'S DESK READING (English): 'POETRY UPON REQUEST BY ALLAN ANDRE' ANDRE AND CLIENT PASSERBY LOOKING AT ANDRE TYPING (SOUNDBITE) (English) NEW YORK STREET POET, ALLAN ANDRE, SAYING: "A lot of the stories, I kind of, I keep them in mind while they are happening, and then I let them go later. You know, if the same person shows up, I probably will remember, but it's a lot. I have to have a very light touch with my thoughts and my memories." VARIOUS OF ANDRE TYPING, EMPIRE STATE BUILDING IN BACKGROUND PAPER IN TYPEWRITER ANDRE TYPING (SOUNDBITE) (English) NEW YORK STREET POET, ALLAN ANDRE, SAYING: "Some of them do. I try to let the form follow whatever inspiration I am feeling in the moment. So the form will be a direct outgrowth of whatever the content is. Sometimes people request certain forms, so I try to work with them. You know, if someone asks for a haiku, I will do a haiku. If someone asks for a sonnet, yes I will spend the time to do a sonnet. So, I take those kind of requests. But in general, I prefer to let the poem decide how it wants to look." THALIA JACA (PRONOUNCED - JAKKA) REQUESTING A POEM PASSERBY LOOKING ANDRE READING POEM TO JACA ANDRE GIVING POEM TO JACA (SOUNDBITE) (English) PASSERBY, THALIA JACA, SAYING: "I love it. It's something like you wouldn't really come across, or really read or hear at all. So, it's one of those things that you have to admire and really appreciate." HANDS TYPING ON TYPEWRITER HOTEL WORKER, AZIZ RHAMAM, WATCHING ANDRE TYPE ANDRE READING POEM TO RHAMAM (SOUNDBITE) (English) HOTEL WORKER, AZIZ RHAMAM, SAYING: "I just want to find out what he would write about him (his son). And whatever he writes is OK, it's not bad he writes good things." VARIOUS OF ANDRE TYPING
  • Embargoed: 15th August 2017 20:45
  • Keywords: Poet street poet artist Allan Andre
  • Location: NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES
  • City: NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: Human Interest / Brights / Odd News,Society/Social Issues
  • Reuters ID: LVA0016SBSTP5
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: A busy New York street was the birthplace of instant poetry on Tuesday (August 1) as poet Allan Andre set up his typewriter in front of an empty storefront.
    Andre writes poetry upon request for passersby in return for a donation. He has been writing poems for New Yorkers for almost a decade, and 34th Street - near Macy's flagship department store and Penn Station - has become his favorite creative spot.
    "A lot of it is about stories that I hear, and whatever people bring to me," Andre told Reuters.
    If clients want a specific style, such as a sonnet or haiku, Andre will honor their requests. But most of the time he prefers to "let the poem decide how it wants to look."
    He said that he takes requests out on the street about two to three hours a day, in which he writes 15 to 20 poems, the tapping of his vintage typewriter merging with the sounds of the bustling street.
    On Tuesday, he got a request from Thalia Jaca, who wanted a poem that said something positive. In 10 minutes time, Andre wrote piece titled "Turning up Yellow Mountains", which Jaca said she loved.
    Another request came from Aziz Rhamam, a Pakistani hotel worker who wanted a poem for his son.
    "I just want to find out what he would write about him (his son). And whatever he writes is OK, it's not bad he writes good things," he said.
    Andre types his poetry on carbon paper to keep a copy for himself. Over the years he said that he has accumulated thousands of poems requested by New Yorkers.
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