Sudbury's poet laureate aims to make poetry more visible with new project

Kim Fahnerfirst got the idea for the Sudbury Street Poetry Project back in 2012 when she was visiting Ireland for a writing retreat.

While she was inthe village ofEyeries, in southern part of the country, Fahner noticed visual art in every window, including individual homes.

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Then she read about Newcastle, England where every store on Newgate Street had a poem posted in its window.

Sudbury's poet laureate decided to try a similar project in the northeast.

"To me,it's all about bringing art into the streetsreally, and especially literary art...poetry," said Fahner.

She is asking for submissions for the project. The poems that make the short list will then goup in windows during national poetry month in April.

'People can write poems about anything'

About 25 businesses have already agreed to take part.

"People can write poems about anything," said Fahner, calling the initiative"poeticgraffiti." She added that thepoint of the poetry projectis to bring art out in to the city.

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Fahner said when she speaks at local schools, many of the studentstell her they don't understand poetry;that it's a different kind of language.

"I just think it's a different way of seeing the world through the eyes of poetry. It's how Isee it regularly, to see the extraordinary in the ordinary."

The deadline to submit a poem is March 20, which gives Fahner and fellow poetTom Leduc time to go through the submissions.

"I'm hoping people who think they can't write poetry will try to write poetry," she said.