Poetry

A smattering of posters promoting New Zealand poetry has hit the state of Arizona, where cotton farmers who wear big straw hats and drive white Chevy pickup trucks are now reciting Gary McCormick's "For the Engine Will be Coming." A Phantom poster put 'er up 'er pasted the prose liberally on some of the more notable features of central Arizona, including cotton gins, derelict cars which adorn front yards, and the battered remains of boarded up Main Streets. A poster was even juxaposted with cactus, without ever touching its legally protected prickles.

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An initiative by Phantom Billstickers* to provoke some thought, while putting some beauty back into the world's streets, has seen POEM POSTERS featuring poems by New Zealand and American poets plastered all over New Zealand as well as Sydney, Paris and several American cities including Nashville, Knoxville, Portland, Seattle, Chicago and Philadelphia.

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Herald-Citizen Archives

Local writer has poetry featured in New Zealand

Author: Megan Trotter Herald-Citizen Staff Date: June 25, 2009

COOKEVILLE -- Jeffery McCaleb has never been to New Zealand, but he currently has one of his poems displayed there on a poster as a part of an exhibition by national poster company Phantom Billstickers. It all started while he was taking a class at Nashville State Community College in Cookeville.

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There's lots of things to think about with a headful of the Blues in the Windy City: The failed Volstead Act and how that applies in this day and age with drugs, 'Hinky Dick' Kenna, 'Bathhouse' John Coughlin and other crooked Politicians ("Vote early...and Vote often), Abbie Hoffman, Bobby Seale and the 1968 Democrat Party Convention along with its subsequent riots, Oprah and the failure of television, Nelson Algren, Saul Bellow, Robert Johnson, Tom Petty's excellent album "Live in Chicago", the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, John Belushi and the Blues Brothers, John Dillinger

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I'm writing this on the eve of Guy Fawke's night and yet I did this poster run a month back in early October. I flew to Seattle and the shuttle bus driver became lost getting me to a Holiday Inn. That's strange. She also managed to incur the wrath (held back, breathing changed) of several other passengers as she went past their stops. That's weird. Why would a person do that? I felt incredibly diplomatic as a Kiwi and we always feel the need to patch things up. I did. That's laborious.

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On this run I was carrying Poem Posters by four or five New Zealand Poets. The poems were by Hilaire Campbell, Michele Leggott, Campbell McKay, Geoff Conchrane, and Janet Frame. I'm always proud to do this.

The day was very pleasant as I set off from Lambertville, New Jersey and up I-95 to Princeton. The trip takes about thirty minutes. Princeton is a beautiful town. The main street (Nassau Street) is good and wide and is dominated by the University. The town somehow just feels open and like there's a good, clean breeze blowing through it.

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This is a great area and is nicely Bohemian and worn in. I'd say it is comfortable and ramshackle. It is without the many false airs and graces which town planners and archtitects often, but not always, come up with. In some ways it reminded me of the Upper Cuba Street area in Wellington, New Zealand. There's a whole bunch of clever people here with shops and businesses that are firmly individualistic. I always like to see that. I reckon it's good for people. This area is certainly not bland. It lends itself to postering and there's a lot of it - bright colours in the street.

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During the week of September 14th to the 18th 2009 I travelled from Lambertville, New Jersey to Lebanon, New Hampshire. This also took me through New York State and Massachussetts. Possibly Connecticut as well. The drive is about 320 miles. I stopped at various stages and usually at gas stations and always at Starbucks. I delighted in placing Poem Posters by New Zealand Poets at these locations. I was always well received. The funny thing about it is that if you go in with a Poem Poster, then people will always talk to you. They are always friendly. There's a heck of a lesson in that.

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I arrived in New Jersey about three weeks ago. I am living in a town called Lambertville which is about fifty miles from New York City. New Jersey has about nine million residents on .0015% the land size of Siberia. On the other side of the Delaware River, five minutes walk away, is Philadelphia. In this state it is illegal to talk on a cellphone whilst driving, but motorcyclists don't have to wear a helmet. Watsup with that?

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The guy who put these posters up asked me not to identify him for fear of being thrown out of the venerable Republic. Postering in Paris is heavily controlled, even in the areas called by names as various as "multi-cultural", "hotspots" and "crime zones" postering aint easy if you don't get it done on the special kiosks (some of them are even rotating). In fact, it's those areas that are policed more than others. And there are police. And... they are no nicer than anywhere else. Yeah well...

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