NYC's MTA Works With Poetry Society of America to Comfort Transit Riders Upon Reopening
The New York Times reports on the MTA's partnership with Poetry Society of America in this time of crisis. In order to "restore faith in a subway system that has been seen as a vector for infection," the hope is that the "people who pick the verse routinely displayed inside subway cars as part of the 'Poetry in Motion' series" might select works to "lift up riders and speak to the city’s place at the center of a global crisis." More, from :
“We are very aware that when people begin using the subway and buses again in greater numbers there is going to be this sense of anxiety,” said Matt Brogan, the executive director of the Poetry Society of America, which runs the subway program with the M.T.A. “The poems have always played a role in making the space welcoming.”
Sandra Bloodworth, the director of the M.T.A.’s arts and design program, said that beginning last month, people involved with Poetry in Motion began thinking about how to make sure that the next works are “thoughtful and mindful.”
Beyond elements of happiness, she said, the new poems should reflect the complex reality brought on by the coronavirus and the difficulties that the city has endured.
“What we present is more important than ever,” Ms. Bloodworth said. “We knew it was going to be a daunting challenge to find just the right thing to speak to, but also to comfort, people.”
Nothing has been chosen yet, but Mr. Brogan said they were looking for poems that might match the tone of “Separation” by W.S. Merwin, a three-line poem that has previously appeared in the subway.
Learn more at the New York Times.