"Poetry In Motion" Gets Another Ride In City Transit System
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After a four-year hiatus, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority is bringing back and expanding its "Poetry In Motion" program, which pairs poems and artworks throughout the city's mass transit system.
On subways, the poems will appear at eye-level, instead of the overhead advertising spaces where they used to be.
They will also be showing up on the back of some MetroCards.
Animated sequences will appear at five major transportation hubs, including Penn Station and Grand Central.
"When we encounter poetry, we encounter it in our own inner voice. And when we memorize poetry, we can carry it with us every day. So it's perfect for transportation," said Alice Quinn, the executive director of the Poetry Society of America. "It's perfect for when you're in motion, and hence the name, 'Poetry In Motion.'"
"It's a godsend, because there you are, you know, tired, or whatever, and there's a poem to take you out of yourself and bring you to a good place," said Jean Valentine, the New York State poet laureate.
The poems are selected by MTA Arts For Transit in collaboration with the Poetry Society of America.