What do you think?
Rate this book
The Poetry of Strangers: What I Learned Traveling America with a Typewriter – Insightful Essays on Isolation and Community
From award-winning writer and poet Brian Sonia-Wallace comes this heartrending collection of literary essays that explore America’s crumbling institutions and ultimately reveal the humanity that emerges at the margins.
In this collection of thematically and geographically linked essays, Brian Sonia-Wallace—a keen observer of the human condition and a poetry evangelist—travels across the US armed with only a typewriter to write poetry for strangers as he attempts to celebrate, eulogize, and potentially restore some of the most ubiquitous staples of Americana: the transcontinental railroad, the shopping mall, and music festivals, to name just a few.
On his remarkable journey, Brian connects with fascinating American characters—those not typically covered by the mainstream media, but who instead connect with the readers of J.D. Vance, Robert Moor, and Rick Bragg. By capturing and linking these individuals and their stories through the poems Brian writes for them, Dust Bowl Nation speaks to our times and to an increasingly larger part of our populace who yearns to understand our changing cultural landscape.
Thought-provoking, moving, and eye-opening, Dust Bowl Nation is an unforgettable, masterful work—by one of our most important voices today—that gives readers a compelling, unvarnished view of America…one that is rarely seen.
In this collection of thematically and geographically linked essays, Brian Sonia-Wallace—a keen observer of the human condition and a poetry evangelist—travels across the US armed with only a typewriter to write poetry for strangers as he attempts to celebrate, eulogize, and potentially restore some of the most ubiquitous staples of Americana: the transcontinental railroad, the shopping mall, and music festivals, to name just a few.
On his remarkable journey, Brian connects with fascinating American characters—those not typically covered by the mainstream media, but who instead connect with the readers of J.D. Vance, Robert Moor, and Rick Bragg. By capturing and linking these individuals and their stories through the poems Brian writes for them, Dust Bowl Nation speaks to our times and to an increasingly larger part of our populace who yearns to understand our changing cultural landscape.
Thought-provoking, moving, and eye-opening, Dust Bowl Nation is an unforgettable, masterful work—by one of our most important voices today—that gives readers a compelling, unvarnished view of America…one that is rarely seen.
293 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 30, 2020
45 people are currently reading
1639 people want to read
About the author
Brian Sonia-Wallace
6 books19 followersBrian Sonia-Wallace’s books include The Poetry of Strangers (Harper Collins, 2020 “Full of optimism and wide-eyed wonder” - The New York Times) and I sold these poems, now I want them back (Yak Press, 2016). His writing has been published in The Guardian and Rolling Stone, and he teaches creative writing through the UCLA Extension Writers' Program and Get Lit - Words Ignite. He is the founder of RENT Poet (as seen on NPR’s How I Built This), bringing poets on typewriters to events, and has been the Writer in Residence for Amtrak and the Mall of America. His favorite animal is the 3-toed sloth. More at briansoniawallace.com.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 77 reviews
October 12, 2020
In the spirit of “The Poetry of Strangers,” I shut up my fear of poetry, forgot about the gatekeepers, and tried to whip out a poem on my laptop like a busking typewriter poet - quickly and with as few deletes as possible (which was only mostly futile). Here’s my poem inspired by this book:
Grasping connection
With a total stranger
Like cool sand in my hands
Refreshing and simple
And a million tiny crystals
The way we understand
Not the seven seas
Of intricacies
Our poor non-strangers
Chart with such skill
Just one hand with a quill
And the other with ink
And the sense of a
Conspiratorial wink
As an “anachronism-laden” typewriter poet, Sonia-Wallace creates an against-all-odds space wherever he goes, where just about anyone winds up baring their soul within moments. The results are magic, especially in an era of polarization and heightened social isolation. As he takes you into the lives of incredibly distinct strangers, he weaves their stories together with threads of shared humanity. What moved me the most, reading this book, was a feeling I had throughout of connection with people whose stories are so different from my own. I also felt inspired to get out of my own way in my art – to embrace whatever comes out in this moment and to let go of perfectionism… at least a little. A great read!
Grasping connection
With a total stranger
Like cool sand in my hands
Refreshing and simple
And a million tiny crystals
The way we understand
Not the seven seas
Of intricacies
Our poor non-strangers
Chart with such skill
Just one hand with a quill
And the other with ink
And the sense of a
Conspiratorial wink
As an “anachronism-laden” typewriter poet, Sonia-Wallace creates an against-all-odds space wherever he goes, where just about anyone winds up baring their soul within moments. The results are magic, especially in an era of polarization and heightened social isolation. As he takes you into the lives of incredibly distinct strangers, he weaves their stories together with threads of shared humanity. What moved me the most, reading this book, was a feeling I had throughout of connection with people whose stories are so different from my own. I also felt inspired to get out of my own way in my art – to embrace whatever comes out in this moment and to let go of perfectionism… at least a little. A great read!
August 1, 2020
We follow the author as he traveled across America as a rent-a-poet. He started writing poems with a type writer on the streets of Los Angeles area trying to pay his bills. He wrote poems for strangers on the Amtrak. He wrote poems at the Mall of America. It's interesting to hear stories from strangers across the country. He wrote poems at wedding and at corporate events (I didn't know this was a thing). Some stories were more interesting than others.
July 13, 2020
I have never read a book of poetry like this one...or actually any book like this one. It is so human, so everyday (well, not all the chapters are "everyday"), so down-to-earth, while also being insightful. I enjoyed it very much. The range of experiences Brian Sonia-Wallace relates are all fascinating...I couldn't put it down once I started. How does one book tell such diverse stories? Funny, terrifying, sad. I was going to pick some favorites, but by the end of each one, I wasn't judging anymore. I guess this really isn't a book OF poetry, but it is ABOUT poetry...the poetry of experience, of being alive, if you pay attention. I even find myself composing little couplets in my head in response to just anything. I hope that doesn't wear off.
September 16, 2020
Thank you so much to Harper Perennial for my gifted copy of The Poetry of Strangers!
I loved following the author on his journey writing poetry for anyone who gave him a topic! This is a book ABOUT poetry and the human experience rather than a book OF poetry. I thought it was fascinating how strangers would open up so much to someone behind a typewriter. From weddings to the Mall of America to an EDM festival, Brian Sonia-Wallace provides a unique experience to countless people (including some witches!). I thoroughly enjoyed this insightful book of literary essays and poems.
I loved following the author on his journey writing poetry for anyone who gave him a topic! This is a book ABOUT poetry and the human experience rather than a book OF poetry. I thought it was fascinating how strangers would open up so much to someone behind a typewriter. From weddings to the Mall of America to an EDM festival, Brian Sonia-Wallace provides a unique experience to countless people (including some witches!). I thoroughly enjoyed this insightful book of literary essays and poems.
April 5, 2020
Poet Brian Sonia-Wallace is part performance artist and part therapist, listening to people he encounters on trains, in the Mall of America, at an epic EDM festival, or in the beauty department of a department store. Since 2012, he has written poems for strangers in thirteen states and three countries, and he finds ways to connect with everyone, often eliciting tears from grateful recipients of his poems. As he travels, he reflects on how the individual people he meets fit into the larger American narrative, taking the pulse of this changing nation, from evangelicals to trans people to Wiccans, always with an open heart and mind.
This is a humble man's reflection on his unique perspective. "Who is the appropriate person to tell what story?" he wonders. Sonia-Wallace gives not only an ear but also a voice to people who don't often feel heard. He asserts, "This vision is about writing as connection -- poetry as a service industry ... Poetry is the shortest distance between feeling and expression."
In his role as witness and reporter, Sonia-Wallace is compassionate and informative, but I wish he had been more reflective about how he was able to open his heart day after day in city after city. The book read more like a travelogue than an autobiography. He is often almost painfully honest, but I think his book does not live up to to its subtitle: "What I Learned Traveling American with a Typewriter." Sonia-Wallace met fascinating people, who keep framed copies of his street poems on their walls and often stay in touch with him for years. This is a testament to the value of his work. He asserts, "Perhaps it is the duty we have as citizens of the world. To show up for strangers until they are not strangers anymore."
This is a humble man's reflection on his unique perspective. "Who is the appropriate person to tell what story?" he wonders. Sonia-Wallace gives not only an ear but also a voice to people who don't often feel heard. He asserts, "This vision is about writing as connection -- poetry as a service industry ... Poetry is the shortest distance between feeling and expression."
In his role as witness and reporter, Sonia-Wallace is compassionate and informative, but I wish he had been more reflective about how he was able to open his heart day after day in city after city. The book read more like a travelogue than an autobiography. He is often almost painfully honest, but I think his book does not live up to to its subtitle: "What I Learned Traveling American with a Typewriter." Sonia-Wallace met fascinating people, who keep framed copies of his street poems on their walls and often stay in touch with him for years. This is a testament to the value of his work. He asserts, "Perhaps it is the duty we have as citizens of the world. To show up for strangers until they are not strangers anymore."
August 2, 2020
Listened to the audiobook via BookBeat UK!
This was such an uplifting and also tricky listen to have experienced. Brian is a spoken word artist and travelling across America is inspired by everything, whether it is people, places or purposes. His writing takes off after securing a residency at the Mall of America and working on poetry writing workshops and helping others to find their true, emotional voice even after all their personal life experiences that they may have faced (death of a loved one, victim of crime etc) I really recommend it and quite surprised this hasn't gotten much buzz yet.
This was such an uplifting and also tricky listen to have experienced. Brian is a spoken word artist and travelling across America is inspired by everything, whether it is people, places or purposes. His writing takes off after securing a residency at the Mall of America and working on poetry writing workshops and helping others to find their true, emotional voice even after all their personal life experiences that they may have faced (death of a loved one, victim of crime etc) I really recommend it and quite surprised this hasn't gotten much buzz yet.
September 14, 2020
Brian Sonia-Wallace managed to actually bring hope and joy into my world with this book; no easy task right now. His experiences with people all over the country (and the world) have revived my hope for humanity. I highly recommend that everyone read this - it is the perfect antidote to covid isolation.
August 6, 2020
An insightful series of essays, laced with poems, about the common human condition. An ultimately uplifting and hopeful narrative about what makes us all human - the need to connect and tell our personal stories - and how strangers share their innermost thoughts with a stranger behind a manual typewriter. An engaging read during our COVID days.
July 23, 2020
The Poetry Of Strangers by Brian Sonia-Wallace (6/30)
Rating 4.5 / 5 Stars
** Thank you to Netgalley, Harpercollins, and of course, Brian Sonia-Wallace, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I must admit, I have never read a book of poetry like this. I’m a huge fan of poetry and travel writing so to see them come together in a brilliant book like this, I am so happy.
Brain Sonia-Wallace relates a range of experiences with everyday human beings. By simply setting up a typewriter on a street, he finds strangers interested in poems for sale. Getting to know these people through his desires, this collection of essays opens the eyes to those with deep dreams and longings, love, heartbreak, and demons.
Brian takes a cross country journey with these essays. He becomes a storyteller, embracing the stories of everyday people and combining it with beautiful themes and geographical links. It is thought-provoking, moving, and truly an eye-opener to the everyday people building America and provides a beautiful view of the vast country we all tend to forget is that vast.
I highly recommend this collection if you want to enlighten yourself through a beautiful writing style and themes.
Rating 4.5 / 5 Stars
** Thank you to Netgalley, Harpercollins, and of course, Brian Sonia-Wallace, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I must admit, I have never read a book of poetry like this. I’m a huge fan of poetry and travel writing so to see them come together in a brilliant book like this, I am so happy.
Brain Sonia-Wallace relates a range of experiences with everyday human beings. By simply setting up a typewriter on a street, he finds strangers interested in poems for sale. Getting to know these people through his desires, this collection of essays opens the eyes to those with deep dreams and longings, love, heartbreak, and demons.
Brian takes a cross country journey with these essays. He becomes a storyteller, embracing the stories of everyday people and combining it with beautiful themes and geographical links. It is thought-provoking, moving, and truly an eye-opener to the everyday people building America and provides a beautiful view of the vast country we all tend to forget is that vast.
I highly recommend this collection if you want to enlighten yourself through a beautiful writing style and themes.
August 8, 2020
I picked this book up on a whim with no prior knowledge about it, and I'm so glad I did. This is one of the most well-written personal narratives I've come across in a long time, especially on the topic of authorship. Brian both takes himself seriously as a writer, and acknowledges his place as a novice beginner searching for a way to live through making art. The journeys he goes on become more wild throughout the course of the book, almost to the point where I found it hard to believe it was real. Not only was his story full of excitement, but his writing style is conversational. Reading this book is like sharing a memory with a friend, with pieces of truth about life sprinkled throughout. This is a story that will stick with me for a long time, and one I know I will revisit many times over when I'm searching for a little inspiration to keep writing.
August 20, 2020
This book was not what I thought it was going to be. I was hoping for more poetry, more work from strangers. I don’t know, just not my most favorite read.
January 24, 2023
I randomly found this book in a Free Little Library nearby. It referenced poetry, a typewriter, and it was a short volume, so why not? Brian Sonia-Wallace is an aimless twenty-something when he decides to embark on his ‘rent poet’ scheme; through it, he travels the country (partially by train!) and meets people from all walks of life; above all, he gets glimpses of their hearts and sincere desires and feelings. This book is one of compassion and openness, of reaching out to the stranger across the typewriter and connecting to them. The book consists of several essays, roughly chronological but not strictly. Some chapters were more captivating than others. The overarching message can become somewhat repetitive by the end—but this was an enjoyable read.
I once considered focusing in anthropology, because studying different ways of being human is a subject I can easily get lost in. Add poetry to the mix—and well, clearly this book resonated with me, in a way. Modern poetry isn’t always palatable—I don’t get the significance or depth behind random (or strategic) line breaks, repetitive metaphors, and strings of barely coherent sentences connected by a vague theme. Yet, Sonia-Wallace masters the art of turning raw feelings into words, sharp edges raised on paper and sculpted in ink. Okay, that is it for my attempt at metaphors. At one point, Sonia-Wallace is at the Mall of America in a blatant rebranding campaign, trying to attract more people to the mall—a space which has been in decline for years. Surely, one would not think ‘poetry’ for the marketing strategy—but people sob their hearts out! Word of mouth propels the poet to new heights. Clearly, there is a need for typewriter poetry.
At its heart, the message I gained from this is not remotely earth shattering or unknown—people want to be heard and seen, and they want others to not only acknowledge their existence, but to hold them in their pain and sit with it for a while. Typewriter poems do that. Art does it. The ineffable nature of creativity layered through various media does it. Though this book is part reflection, part poetry, and part memoir, it is mainly a reminder of that humanity that threads us all together in the search for acceptance. If you are looking for an uplifting read about the power of connecting through poetry, this is the ticket.
I once considered focusing in anthropology, because studying different ways of being human is a subject I can easily get lost in. Add poetry to the mix—and well, clearly this book resonated with me, in a way. Modern poetry isn’t always palatable—I don’t get the significance or depth behind random (or strategic) line breaks, repetitive metaphors, and strings of barely coherent sentences connected by a vague theme. Yet, Sonia-Wallace masters the art of turning raw feelings into words, sharp edges raised on paper and sculpted in ink. Okay, that is it for my attempt at metaphors. At one point, Sonia-Wallace is at the Mall of America in a blatant rebranding campaign, trying to attract more people to the mall—a space which has been in decline for years. Surely, one would not think ‘poetry’ for the marketing strategy—but people sob their hearts out! Word of mouth propels the poet to new heights. Clearly, there is a need for typewriter poetry.
At its heart, the message I gained from this is not remotely earth shattering or unknown—people want to be heard and seen, and they want others to not only acknowledge their existence, but to hold them in their pain and sit with it for a while. Typewriter poems do that. Art does it. The ineffable nature of creativity layered through various media does it. Though this book is part reflection, part poetry, and part memoir, it is mainly a reminder of that humanity that threads us all together in the search for acceptance. If you are looking for an uplifting read about the power of connecting through poetry, this is the ticket.
July 17, 2023
Written by a poet, so obviously it’s going to be beautiful. What I didn’t expect was that it would inspire me so much to create and seek beauty myself. This book is all about the beauty that comes from listening and looking more carefully to strangers and things that are strange to us — because there is meaning, belonging, solidarity, and so much more to be found. Always. Inspiring and eye-opening.
contemplating-its-sins
December 28, 2020I gave up on this about 1/4 of the way through it. I just didn't care. Perhaps due to my 2020 mood? Not sure.
May 1, 2021
Brian Sonia-Wallace shares his experiences as a Rent Poet, a poet who writes poems for strangers at events.
January 24, 2021
Krachtig, inspirerend! Mocht nog meer poëzie bevatten, maar de verhalen erachter zijn minstens even hoopvol (en nodig).
September 5, 2020
A life affirming book.
This is a quiet masterpiece. It is a life affirming and life changing book. It is a manual on how to be a human being. Read it and save your soul.
This is a quiet masterpiece. It is a life affirming and life changing book. It is a manual on how to be a human being. Read it and save your soul.
August 31, 2020
Really fun book that rebuilds the idea of human centered interactions. Wonderful stories of people living their everyday lives and how impactful small moments of exchange can be. Take some time to speak with a stranger; who knows how much it can help them (or you) to learn something new or discover something about yourself.
December 31, 2020
I really enjoyed this. This is essays and poetry as the author traveled from place to place and the people he met. I'm envious. What a great adventure to travel and write poetry.
Thank you Harper Perennial for this copy.
Dawnny Ruby
Novels N Latte
Hudson Valley NY
Thank you Harper Perennial for this copy.
Dawnny Ruby
Novels N Latte
Hudson Valley NY
August 5, 2020
Spoiler alert: have a box of tissues handy! Brian Sonia-Wallace will masterfully tug at your heart strings.
I wouldn't have expected to have such visceral emotional reactions to a book of essays, but nonetheless, here we are. The essays are so well-rendered that they make the reader ache. While it's clear that Brian makes a personal connection to each of the many people he talks to, what becomes even clearer as we read is that we make that connection, too, as Brian puts us in the room, or on the train, or in the mall and takes us along for the ride.
I highly recommend this book!
I wouldn't have expected to have such visceral emotional reactions to a book of essays, but nonetheless, here we are. The essays are so well-rendered that they make the reader ache. While it's clear that Brian makes a personal connection to each of the many people he talks to, what becomes even clearer as we read is that we make that connection, too, as Brian puts us in the room, or on the train, or in the mall and takes us along for the ride.
I highly recommend this book!
April 30, 2020
I received an advanced copy through NetGalley and really enjoyed this book.
At its heart, The Poetry of Strangers makes poetry accessible and for all. Brian Sonia-Wallace did something I'm pretty amazed at as a writer - he made money writing poetry, and not just tip money, but like, he eventually went on to pay his Los Angeles rent with money he earned from poetry gigs. That in itself should be commended, but I appreciate HOW he did it too.
Setting out with a typewriter, Sonia-Wallace set up all over the country, and sometimes internationally, to ask people "Do you need a poem?" He didn't set out to write the best poems, he set out to write something that would make a connection. What happened was that more often than not, Sonia-Wallace acted as a short term therapist and witness for a population's grief, love, spirituality, transition, and evolution.
The book is written almost like a series of vignettes about the various places he set up and some of the more meaningful connections he made. I really enjoyed reading his experiences about writing on a cross country train ride, teaching theater in the Amazon rainforest, and even writing inside the Mall of America.
My one request is that the book would have included more of the poems Sonia-Wallace wrote during these years, but the ones included are lovely glimpses into a moment of meeting someone new and finding a brief connection.
At its heart, The Poetry of Strangers makes poetry accessible and for all. Brian Sonia-Wallace did something I'm pretty amazed at as a writer - he made money writing poetry, and not just tip money, but like, he eventually went on to pay his Los Angeles rent with money he earned from poetry gigs. That in itself should be commended, but I appreciate HOW he did it too.
Setting out with a typewriter, Sonia-Wallace set up all over the country, and sometimes internationally, to ask people "Do you need a poem?" He didn't set out to write the best poems, he set out to write something that would make a connection. What happened was that more often than not, Sonia-Wallace acted as a short term therapist and witness for a population's grief, love, spirituality, transition, and evolution.
The book is written almost like a series of vignettes about the various places he set up and some of the more meaningful connections he made. I really enjoyed reading his experiences about writing on a cross country train ride, teaching theater in the Amazon rainforest, and even writing inside the Mall of America.
My one request is that the book would have included more of the poems Sonia-Wallace wrote during these years, but the ones included are lovely glimpses into a moment of meeting someone new and finding a brief connection.
June 10, 2020
I love a good memoir, especially one where travel and tales of the people you meet are involved.
While this is the compilation of the stories of the story of Brian’s occupation, the thing he does to pay the bills, some of the chapters felt out of place. “Deviants & Witches”, while a great chapter of Brian accepting who he is, didn’t feel as if it belong in the book. It didn’t really have anything to do with his poetry story (I felt). It threw me off and I struggled a bit to get my head back into the story after that chapter. “The Story of Us” felt hastily thrown in at the end to wrap up the story.
All in all, an alright memoir. Funny at times and very informative at others.
Per usual, grab it and judge for yourself. Not every book is for everyone.
While this is the compilation of the stories of the story of Brian’s occupation, the thing he does to pay the bills, some of the chapters felt out of place. “Deviants & Witches”, while a great chapter of Brian accepting who he is, didn’t feel as if it belong in the book. It didn’t really have anything to do with his poetry story (I felt). It threw me off and I struggled a bit to get my head back into the story after that chapter. “The Story of Us” felt hastily thrown in at the end to wrap up the story.
All in all, an alright memoir. Funny at times and very informative at others.
Per usual, grab it and judge for yourself. Not every book is for everyone.
May 24, 2020
The Poetry of Strangers follows the adventures of Brian, who picks up a typewriter, travels the world, sets up a station, and listens to people as they share life stories. He then types a poem for them on the spot. Even though his ventures may seem lonely, he connects on a different level with those around him. Brian finds the world connects and feels through his poetry and time. What a beautiful way to share your talents with the world! I highly recommend this read! The world is full of good!
July 16, 2020
This book totally surprised me! I wasn't expecting to like the writing as much as I did. The author tells of his travels as a "poet in residence;" I had never heard the term before, but it fits this author, this poet. Imagine being paid to write poetry for fellow travelers on a three-day train trip or being housed in a hotel in the Mall of America for days while writing poetry for people who share their stories. These are just two of the many adventures the poet shares in his writing.
I received an ARC free from Harper Collins through Goodreads.
I received an ARC free from Harper Collins through Goodreads.
August 7, 2020
This just honestly wasn’t what I was expecting it to be.
August 15, 2021
File "The Poetry of Strangers" in the "expanding my horizons" genre.
Brian Sonia-Wallace's idea to make a living — or at least pay the rent — writing poems for anyone who walks up to a table where he's set up shop, makes for an exceptional string of stories.
Anyone old enough to have banged away on a manual typewriter will appreciate the sentiment when he notes that the machine makes writing "harder and slower." He adds, "On a typewriter, it feels less like you are writing and more like you are composing."
How he developed this art into a business is the underlying basis of the book, but the tales he shares creating poems for guests at weddings, at Michigan's Electric Forest music festival, at polling stations during the 2016 election campaign, as the writer-in-residence at Minnesota's Mall of America, as much as they're interesting, they are amazingly varied.
Yes, there are stories and poems for the grieving, for moms for Mother's Day, for Californians who lost their home to a wildfire, for normal everyday folk; but there also introductions to people living unlike most of us.
Like in a van.
Like trans individuals.
Like a man dressed in lederhosen who pretends to be German and speaks with an accent, except when he speaks perfect English.
Like the Irani woman running for state assembly in Tennessee, of all places, who delicately avoids the word Iran.
Like self-proclaimed witches.
They put the "strange" in "The Poetry of Strangers."
As Sonia-Wallace shares stories about the people he meets and the poems he writes for them, he regularly pulls in cogent quotes from a side variety of sources. For example, he quotes young adult author John Green's description that all writing is making a gift.
"Like a good gift, you can't worry too much about people saying 'I love it!' — you just have to worry about making it the best, most thoughtful gift you can make for that person."
The poems he shares definitely have that mark of thoughtfulness, remarkable that they are composed in minutes after listening to someone's response when he asks, "What do you need a poem about today?"
The sobs and tears some of his works elicit make for pretty good verification that he's good at what he does.
The man can write. About the gig he won to do his poetry thing at the Mall of America, where strangers poured out their life stories to him, he noted, "From my perch at the typewriter, I gathered intel on the human condition from the belly of the beast, and the heart of American consumerism turned into a confessional."
His last chapter would make for a better-than-average op-ed piece about today's culture. Teaching at UCLA, he tells his students the "writing is a way of paying attention," then goes on to philosophize:
"The great irony is, in the twenty-first century, more people are reading and writing than ever before because of the ubiquity of the Internet in the ways we interact with each other, the explosion of social media as a new town square for our digital age. But with an audience of everyone, there's an increasing feeling that on one is listening."
Brian Sonia-Wallace's idea to make a living — or at least pay the rent — writing poems for anyone who walks up to a table where he's set up shop, makes for an exceptional string of stories.
Anyone old enough to have banged away on a manual typewriter will appreciate the sentiment when he notes that the machine makes writing "harder and slower." He adds, "On a typewriter, it feels less like you are writing and more like you are composing."
How he developed this art into a business is the underlying basis of the book, but the tales he shares creating poems for guests at weddings, at Michigan's Electric Forest music festival, at polling stations during the 2016 election campaign, as the writer-in-residence at Minnesota's Mall of America, as much as they're interesting, they are amazingly varied.
Yes, there are stories and poems for the grieving, for moms for Mother's Day, for Californians who lost their home to a wildfire, for normal everyday folk; but there also introductions to people living unlike most of us.
Like in a van.
Like trans individuals.
Like a man dressed in lederhosen who pretends to be German and speaks with an accent, except when he speaks perfect English.
Like the Irani woman running for state assembly in Tennessee, of all places, who delicately avoids the word Iran.
Like self-proclaimed witches.
They put the "strange" in "The Poetry of Strangers."
As Sonia-Wallace shares stories about the people he meets and the poems he writes for them, he regularly pulls in cogent quotes from a side variety of sources. For example, he quotes young adult author John Green's description that all writing is making a gift.
"Like a good gift, you can't worry too much about people saying 'I love it!' — you just have to worry about making it the best, most thoughtful gift you can make for that person."
The poems he shares definitely have that mark of thoughtfulness, remarkable that they are composed in minutes after listening to someone's response when he asks, "What do you need a poem about today?"
The sobs and tears some of his works elicit make for pretty good verification that he's good at what he does.
The man can write. About the gig he won to do his poetry thing at the Mall of America, where strangers poured out their life stories to him, he noted, "From my perch at the typewriter, I gathered intel on the human condition from the belly of the beast, and the heart of American consumerism turned into a confessional."
His last chapter would make for a better-than-average op-ed piece about today's culture. Teaching at UCLA, he tells his students the "writing is a way of paying attention," then goes on to philosophize:
"The great irony is, in the twenty-first century, more people are reading and writing than ever before because of the ubiquity of the Internet in the ways we interact with each other, the explosion of social media as a new town square for our digital age. But with an audience of everyone, there's an increasing feeling that on one is listening."
August 6, 2025
2.5 stars, rounded up. I loved the (new to me) idea of a poet busking on the streets, giving away poems when people couldn’t pay (and some being moved do much that even though they couldn’t pay they went and got a few bucks out of an ATM after they read their poem) and then moving on to being booked at corporate events and even at weddings to entertain the guests by writing poetry one on one with attendees. His poems on their own weren’t grabbing me, but with the backstory (like the never growing up poem and the chicken one) they were very memorable. I found the author a bit long winded on each subject - he could’ve cut a few pages from each chapter even though the topics themselves were interesting (poetry brothels at the electronic music festival, the unequal treatment of migrants detained in the security system, the interactive slime chair at the mall of America, the vomiting missionary). Some of the chapters seemed more like a summary of some interesting places he visited rather than his poetry journey of “traveling America with a typewriter,” and he doesn’t hide which side of the political system he favors.
Here were my favorite parts of the book:
His description of the train trip, and meeting Oren.
The idea of having “cultural missionaries.” Instead of evangelizing with “have you heard the good word!?” They would point out “look! It’s art! It’s poetry!”
The statement about tarot readers being shooed out of town but the poets being tolerated, and how “people with strong religious beliefs would think their souls were being threatened by tarot but no one feels poetry is threatening their soul.” “Clearly they haven’t read much good poetry.”
The 50 year old lady who was leaving her job, said “I’m hip deep in life and I want the next half to be intentional”
Musing in a poem “…maybe the next generation will be good enough for poetry…”
His explanation of people being so unique, so different it endangers them. “Terminally unique” he called them.
The author’s ending line “thank you for needing poems. Poems need you.”
Here were my favorite parts of the book:
His description of the train trip, and meeting Oren.
The idea of having “cultural missionaries.” Instead of evangelizing with “have you heard the good word!?” They would point out “look! It’s art! It’s poetry!”
The statement about tarot readers being shooed out of town but the poets being tolerated, and how “people with strong religious beliefs would think their souls were being threatened by tarot but no one feels poetry is threatening their soul.” “Clearly they haven’t read much good poetry.”
The 50 year old lady who was leaving her job, said “I’m hip deep in life and I want the next half to be intentional”
Musing in a poem “…maybe the next generation will be good enough for poetry…”
His explanation of people being so unique, so different it endangers them. “Terminally unique” he called them.
The author’s ending line “thank you for needing poems. Poems need you.”
May 3, 2020
The Poetry of Strangers
What I Learned Traveling America with a Typewriter
by Brian Sonia-Wallace
HarperCollins Publishers
Harper Perennial
Biographies & Memoirs | History
Pub Date 30 Jun 2020
I am reviewing a copy of The Poetry of Strangers through HarperCollins and Netgalley:
Before he was an award wining Author and Poet, Brian Sonia-Wallace decided to set up a typewriter on the street with a sign that read Poetry Store. In doing so he found something that surprised him, all over America, people wanted poems. At first Brian was an Amateur Busker who asked countless strangers what they wanted a poem about, and to his surprised many of these people opened up to share their deepest longings, yearnings, love, and heartbreaks. Hundreds then thousands of people around the nation from every walk of life became converts.
The Poetry of Strangers is the story of Brian’s cross country journey, through a series of his heartfelt and thought provoking essays, chronicling the journey. In his travels Brian learned that people were not afraid of poetry, when it came to telling their stories.
The story of Brian’s Journey comes at a time of unprecedented loneliness and isolation, and shows how art can be a vital bridge to community in surprising places.
The Poetry of Strangers is a thought provoking idea. This book is an unforgettable portrait of America told through the hidden longings of one person at a time, by one of our most important voices today.
I would recommend this book to anyone who needs to be reminded just what a gift poetry can be.
I give The Poetry of Strangers five out of five stars!
Happy Reading!
What I Learned Traveling America with a Typewriter
by Brian Sonia-Wallace
HarperCollins Publishers
Harper Perennial
Biographies & Memoirs | History
Pub Date 30 Jun 2020
I am reviewing a copy of The Poetry of Strangers through HarperCollins and Netgalley:
Before he was an award wining Author and Poet, Brian Sonia-Wallace decided to set up a typewriter on the street with a sign that read Poetry Store. In doing so he found something that surprised him, all over America, people wanted poems. At first Brian was an Amateur Busker who asked countless strangers what they wanted a poem about, and to his surprised many of these people opened up to share their deepest longings, yearnings, love, and heartbreaks. Hundreds then thousands of people around the nation from every walk of life became converts.
The Poetry of Strangers is the story of Brian’s cross country journey, through a series of his heartfelt and thought provoking essays, chronicling the journey. In his travels Brian learned that people were not afraid of poetry, when it came to telling their stories.
The story of Brian’s Journey comes at a time of unprecedented loneliness and isolation, and shows how art can be a vital bridge to community in surprising places.
The Poetry of Strangers is a thought provoking idea. This book is an unforgettable portrait of America told through the hidden longings of one person at a time, by one of our most important voices today.
I would recommend this book to anyone who needs to be reminded just what a gift poetry can be.
I give The Poetry of Strangers five out of five stars!
Happy Reading!
September 20, 2020
When I first started this book, I was skeptical-the confidence of a mediocre white man to do literally anything. In this case, writing typewriter poetry, something Sonia-Wallace neither studied nor was interested in before randomly deciding to do it.
That irked me. It always does.
Then I kept reading. Brian traveled the US, connecting with people of all backgrounds and ages. They shared a few moments. Art happened.
Art, I believe feeds our souls. How can you say art is worthless than consume it constantly, through movies, books, tv, graphic design, music, landscaping...? As a writer and theatre artist myself, I have found that I am desperately missing the communities that Sonia-Wallace describes in his book. I need to connect with art, other artists. My creativity needs it. I need it.
All this to say, I found The Poetry of Strangers inspiring. Not for me to go and write typewriter poetry, though I certainly could, but to connect with art and artists again.
CW: witchcraft, transphobia, sexism, racism, prison, immigration, religion, drug use, colonization, death of a child, vomit
That irked me. It always does.
Then I kept reading. Brian traveled the US, connecting with people of all backgrounds and ages. They shared a few moments. Art happened.
Art, I believe feeds our souls. How can you say art is worthless than consume it constantly, through movies, books, tv, graphic design, music, landscaping...? As a writer and theatre artist myself, I have found that I am desperately missing the communities that Sonia-Wallace describes in his book. I need to connect with art, other artists. My creativity needs it. I need it.
All this to say, I found The Poetry of Strangers inspiring. Not for me to go and write typewriter poetry, though I certainly could, but to connect with art and artists again.
CW: witchcraft, transphobia, sexism, racism, prison, immigration, religion, drug use, colonization, death of a child, vomit
December 13, 2020
I was eager to read about this fellow poet who traveled to cities far and wide with a glimmer of hope and a typewriter. He would set up a small table and chair along with his typewriter and wait for the people to come. When they did, they would request a poem about a particular topic. They would pay a denomination that they deemed appropriate. As time passed, the poet was asked to work at musical festivals, spiritual retreats, business conventions and wedding receptions. Throughout the book, he expressed the thought that he came upon all of this accidentally and never set out to be a poet. His travels and those he met during that time were compelling. Nonetheless, about 3/4 into the book, it began to drag for me. For this reader, the voice and the narrative of the book changed at that point and I was not as invested. Thank you to @netgalley for the free e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. #thepoetryofstrangers #bookstagrammer #booksandmrdarcy #goodreads #netgalley #withhernosestuckinabook❤️📚
Displaying 1 - 30 of 77 reviews