A poet sits down at a small table and chair, occupying one seat at a cosy two person table.
The poet then leans down to take out an old style vintage typewriter – ribbons, ink and coloured pieces of paper – from a satchel, and proceeds to begin. Firstly, reaching out to an interested passerby and with these words begins an exchange of words and meaning that will end in a free gifted piece of poetry ...”tell me who you love, tell me what inspires you, tell me what you want a poem about... and I’ll write one for you right now.”
Auckland’s typewriter poetry activation involves a poet sitting at a welcoming table, behind a vintage typewriter, ready to type poetry in a spur of the moment interaction with passers-by. The poet manages to engage in the simplest yet magical way with total strangers, by offering a free piece of poetry.
Poems can be a love letter to a special person, a cry for catharsis or simply a bit of word-play fun. Each time, a unique moment is captured and an inspired passerby gets to experience an unexpected urban activation to brighten their day and to share with family and friends later.
The Poets:
Eric Soakai
Eric is a Samoan/Tongan activist, artist and academic based out of South Auckland. Having completed an international residency at the Banff Centre of Arts in Canada, he explores indigenous story-telling through his lens as a Polynesian man.
What Eric says:
“I have seen people moved to tears of joy and happiness about how they felt seen and affirmed in an uplifting safe way. Often after these events I will get business cards or keep in contact with patrons who are eager to bring friends to the activation space(s) and see what sort of poems will form!”
Nathan Joe
Nathan Joe is a Chinese-Kiwi playwright (2021 Bruce Mason Playwriting Award) and performance poet (2020 National Slam Champion).
He is a graduate of the New Zealand Broadcasting School (2011) with a Bachelor in Broadcasting Communications (Digital Film and Television Production).
He won the Playmarket b425 award two years in a row (2015 and 2016), and has been shortlisted for the ADAM NZ award. He also won two Auckland Fringe awards in 2019 - Auckland Live: Free Your Mind and Best Newcomer (Ensemble).
He was the 2019 NZ Young Writers Festival writer-in-residence, a 2020 Ursula Bethell writers-in-residence, a 2021 Art Centre resident, and currently a 2022 Grimshaw Sargeson Fellow.
Most recently, his play Scenes from a Yellow Peril is set to have its world premiere at the ASB Waterfront Theatre in June.
Sophie Proctor
Sophie has been writing and making up stories since as far back as she can remember, and has been performing at NZ’s longest running poetry night “Poetry Live” for the last five years. She works full time as a barista and bar manager at a cafe on Karangahape Rd, although really it’s more of an institution. There she observes the wonderful cast of K Rd characters and gathers inspiration for both my poetry and short fiction. She is also an artist and has a BA in Art History from Auckland University.
What Sophie says:
“I have made strong spiritual connections with people by creating one of a kind, off-the-cuff poems specifically for them (I even made one lady cry). There is something so beautiful about the immediacy of the typewriter as a medium, and the tangibility of this piece of art someone - a stranger mere seconds ago - gets to keep.”
Aiwa Pooamorn
Aiwa Pooamorn is a Thai-Chinese mother, poet, theatre maker and support worker. She is co-director of Creative Creatures, an arts collective featuring migrant POC. Their theatre show Have You Ever Been With An Asian Woman? won Auckland Fringe's 2020 Unf*ck The World award.
Aiwa's poems have been published in Landfall, Sport and in the anthology A Clear Dawn: New Asian Voices From Aotearoa.
please contact us to discuss booking a typewriter poet for your activation or event.