Notes To a Stranger

from Jayne Fenton Keane, director of Australia’s National Poetry Week (this week):
“I’m inviting you to take part in a performance poetry event of a different kind between the 7-14th September... to join us in creating a new ‘public library’...”

“A library that is transient, personal and dynamic. A library forged by the invisible traces inside the ‘Seven Degrees of Separation’ idea, where poets leave notes to strangers in the covers of poetry books and then leave them in a specially chosen public space. The books are launched into a life of public nakedness. They become mobile and vagrant. I hope you find one in your travels.”

Your mission is to write a note to a stranger in the sleeve of one of your poetry books/CDs, or a poetry book written by someone else, and to leave the book/CD in a public place for a stranger to pick up. Your notes will be published in Notes to a Stranger on the National Poetry Week Web site, as will one of the poems of your choice from the book. Pass this mission on to anyone who is adventurous enough to try it! Please register by completing the snippet below. After the event you can let me know if there were any changes. The press will be warned but the public won’t!

POET’S MISSION FILE:::::::::::::::::::::::::

I, ___________________________________, accept the NPW mission scheduled between the 7-14th September, 2003.

Anticipated time of book/CD departure:
Anticipated place of book/CD departure (city, state, country):
Name of book/CD:
Author of book:
Year of publication:
Publisher’s details:
Contents of note:
Any comments about the mission:

Let’s make this a truly worldwide event! Make it your mission to add your poems to the Notes To a Stranger project.

Comment or reply to this idea -- or better yet, write a poem & post it -- in our Poetry Forum.