Poets • Writers • Calligraphers • Illustrators • Portrait Artists • Performance Artists • Actors • Comedians • Musicians • Tarot Readers • Diviners • Poets • Writers • Calligraphers • Illustrators • Portrait Artists • Performance Artists • Actors • Comedians • Musicians • Tarot Readers • Diviners • Poets • Writers • Calligraphers • Illustrators • Portrait Artists • Performance Artists • Actors • Comedians • Musicians • Tarot Readers • Diviners • Poets • Writers • Calligraphers • Illustrators • Portrait Artists • Performance Artists • Actors • Comedians • Musicians • Tarot Readers • Diviners • Poets • Writers • Calligraphers • Illustrators • Portrait Artists • Performance Artists • Actors • Comedians • Musicians • Tarot Readers • Diviners • Poets • Writers • Calligraphers • Illustrators • Portrait Artists • Performance Artists • Actors • Comedians • Musicians • Tarot Readers • Diviners • Poets • Writers • Calligraphers • Illustrators • Portrait Artists • Performance Artists • Actors • Comedians • Musicians • Tarot Readers • Diviners • Poets • Writers • Calligraphers • Illustrators • Portrait Artists • Performance Artists • Actors • Comedians • Musicians • Tarot Readers • Diviners • Poets • Writers • Calligraphers • Illustrators • Portrait Artists • Performance Artists • Actors • Comedians • Musicians • Tarot Readers • Diviners • Poets • Writers • Calligraphers • Illustrators • Portrait Artists • Performance Artists • Actors • Comedians • Musicians • Tarot Readers • Diviners • Poets • Writers • Calligraphers • Illustrators • Portrait Artists • Performance Artists • Actors • Comedians • Musicians • Tarot Readers • Diviners •
A creative menu for any taste
Every human being just wants to feel seen. First, the guest gets to talking to the poet, an empathically intelligent person, and watch them deeply contemplate their topic. Then, in as little as a minute, they watch as their fingers dance across the keys of the vintage typewriter, creating a custom poem just for them. This experience is intimate, analog, and unforgettable. And we can adjust the poetry booth setup however needed to fit the size and aesthetic of your event. Whether it's a Gatsby-themed wedding or a 10,000 person conference, the typewriter poetry activation is eye-catching and atmospheric, even to guests who just wander by.
Event Emcee Services
Weaving stories and guiding the night, our emcees set the tone just right. With words that dance and hearts aglow, we'll make your event an unforgettable show.
Spoken Word, Poetry, Comedy, Music and Variety Performances
From rhythm and verse to laughter and song, our performers bring magic all night long. With talents that shine and stories to tell, we'll elevate your event and cast a spell.
The Grand Finale Poem
A crescendo of emotion, a moment of grace, the grand finale poem will leave you in awe of this space. With words that move and spirits that soar, we'll close your event like never before.
Astrological Charts and Astro Poetry
The stars above hold secrets untold, in their movement and light, our poets behold. With words that map the heavens and speak to the soul, we'll weave a tale of destiny and make your event whole.
Our Events
Birthday Party Activities and Entertainment
After the cake, decor, snacks and drinks are covered, you often find yourself wondering, "what is a little something extra we could do at my daughter / husband / father / friend / client's birthday party?" Creative entertainment, particularly typewriter poetry and grand finale poems for the birthday haver, always leaves them feeling extra special and loved. And we can make a custom stamp with their name and birthday on it: a perfect party favor. For those big milestone birthdays (40, 50 ... 100!), how about commissioning a longer-form poem to surprise them with, inspired by memories and praise from their friends and loved ones?
Graduation Party
There is something timeless, almost ancient Greek, about honoring education milestones. For students who love writing, literature, language, and the arts, there is nothing more appropriate and charming than witty on-demand poetry. Intellectual students can be hard to please. If you have a particularly quirky, intelligent student you plan to celebrate, talk to us and we can come up with something one of a kind that fits their interests and entertains at their level.
Bar and Bat Mitzvot
Incline thine ear, hear the words of the wise and apply thy heart unto my knowledge. - Proverbs 22. 17
The intergenerationality of bnei mitzvot is what makes them so special. If your family or community loves the arts and literature, you'll cherish watching grandchildren, children, parents, grandparents, and even great grandparents bonding over writing. A popular way to make this even more interactive is to add extra typewriters for attendees to try writing on together.
Quinceañeras and Sweet Sixteens
For teens who love reading and creative writing, poetry is the perfect, memorable way to underline their special day. Creative entertainment, particularly typewriter poetry and grand finale poems for the birthday teen, always leaves them feeling extra special and their guests inspired and engaged. And we can make a custom stamp with their name and birthday on it: a perfect party favor.
Retirement Party
Reflecting on the end of a career is a very poignant and poetic endeavor. Traditional entertainment can fall short when it comes to celebrating achievements of 10, 20, 30 years...even a lifetime. We love creating custom commemorative poems as retirement gifts, or we can collaborate to write one longer piece that weaves together many memories and perspectives.
Memorials and end-of-life celebrations
We all love to share memories of loved ones when they have left this plane. It is one of our deepest honors to provide grief-informed poets and artists to help you remember the best moments and commemorate a life well lived. We can work with you 1:1 or in a small group before a bereavement, memorial, funeral, or celebration of life, or we can be present to talk with guests during the event itself.
Bridal Shower
As a woman-owned company, rites of passage that are specifically feminine hold a special place in our hearts. When you gather mothers, daughters, sisters, and extended family together to celebrate an engagement and upcoming wedding, we want to be there with you. Spaces that are women-only or are specially designed to celebrate womanhood are perfect places to bring poetry, painting, song, dance, and mystical divination. For sensitive, loving, inclusive entertainment and bonding activities, reach out and we'll help you plan the perfect artistic additions.
Baby SHower
Picture this: a baby book filled with words of wisdom, well wishes, and baby blessings, all lovingly guided by poets, illustrators, and calligraphers. Your family and friends are so eager to share the sweetness with you: we can help them find the perfect words.
Bachelor or Bachelorette Party
Poetry can be a playful addition to a wild night or a quiet alternative for those who prefer a cocktails-and-conversation vibe to celebrate the bride or groom-to-be. Our poets can translate besties' memories, praise, jokes, and good-natured ribbing into unforgettable commissions typed in advance or keepsakes typed on the spot.
Wedding Entertainment + Typewriter Guestbook
When the feeling is, "I love you more than words can say," a poet can help you express them anyway. We love writing poems for you and your guests during cocktail hour, and we always make a point to write the happy couple a pair of poems based on sweet nothings they tell us about each other.
Custom poems and vows for wedding ceremonies
For those once-in-a-lifetime words, have a professional poet in your pocket. Our poets will ask you and/or your spouse-to-be about your hopes for your union, gently guide you with questions, and ultimately help you express to one another how unutterably amazing your future together will be.
Wedding emcee
Poets are, after all, the emissaries of love. We love to set a mood, and we know how to make you feel special in a way that is uniquely you two. A poetic emcee can take your reception to the next level with carefully chosen quotes, original verses, and the ability to make a whole room feel deeply seen and celebratory.
Anniversary Celebration
Friends, family, and the long-term lovebirds themselves can contribute special sentiments that we will transform into poems — written live and collected in a memory book. Add a Grand Finale Poem to be performed in honor of the happy couple at the end of the celebration.
Divorce Party
Catharsis is poetic by definition! Let us help you purge and heal your frustration, grief, disappointment, regret, and any other emotions that a breakup brings up. Want a memory book of custom poems about your (and your friends') least favorite things about your ex? We can make that happen. Or we can write them and (safely) burn them.
Conference Booth
Between presentations, let your attendees get reenergized and re-inspired with a stop at the poetry booth. Instant custom typewriter poems do for the mind and soul what your sponsor’s snack and bottled water do for the body.
Conference Keynote
When is a speech not just another speech? When it's a poem! Imagine your conference's theme expressed in sonnet form — or in entertaining rhyme — with a custom commissioned keynote.
Conference Interactive Activity
Take ideating and iterating to the next level with a poet-facilitator who can guide attendees through thought and language in a new and deeper way.
Experiential and Interactive Marketing
What if you could ask your ideal customer anything about your product? What if your community of product users could wax poetic about their needs and interests, while bonding with your newly launched offerings? What if your top clients could feel like they were magically touched, while experiencing something new you’d like them to pay attention to? All this is possible with a custom poetry activation.
Conference Kickoff or Afterparty Entertainment
Help attendees set their intentions, or collect their reflections, about your programming. Our typewriter poets can elicit insights with questions like, "What do you want your personal theme for this week to be?" or "What is your biggest takeaway from these last few days?" We can also type directly on name tags so attendees can meet and greet each other more deeply.
Store Opening and Product Launch Activations
Getting a poem written just for you is a memorable moment that elevates customer experience. Plus, their physical takeaway has your brand/product name and logo are unforgettable, stamped right next to our hand-typed words (which often end up framed).
Brand ambassadorship and campaign copywriting
What could be more ear-catching than your pwn poetic marketing department? Let us help you find just the right words to entice new customers and intrigue longstanding ones.
Corporate Retreats
Custom typewriter poetry, or a poetry workshop, goes deeper and more personal than another scavenger hunt or escape room, helping your employees feel seen and heard — as well as having a fun and memorable time together. Bet you those poems will become signature company keepsakes, from the cubicle to the corner office.
Company Team Building
Imagine your employees bonding over learning to write the perfect haiku, limerick, or acrostic. Or have one of our poets facilitate Ars Poetica’s very own card game, Scribe, to inspire friendly, creative competition and sharing.
Client or Team Happy Hour
You’ve heard of food for thought — how about drink? Let special clients, or your team members, cheers while sharing the amazing personalized poems they take turns getting.
Campus Activities
Put a fun, spontaneous spin on intellectual discourse with a custom typewriter poetry pop-up on campus. Even (and sometimes especially) STEM majors will marvel at the beauty of a perfect metaphor.
Student Orientation Activity
Let us facilitate a poetry workshop, or simply write custom poems for crowds of new students, to help them get to know themselves and each other more deeply. We can customize poem prompts around school spirit (like your motto) and ask students about their hopes for the years to come on campus.
Spring or Winter Formal Entertainment
Go beyond dinner and dancing with a poetry booth! Students love to have a custom keepsake written just for them, more creative and personal than a photo booth and just as interactive.
Graduation Ceremony
Send new graduates off into the world with words of hope and confidence that echo long after the commencement speech is over. Commission a custom poem for the whole class, printed on fine paper embossed with the school motto and included with that hard-earned diploma.
Cultural and Literary Festivals
Let the musical click-clack of typewriter keys draw attendees’ interest, and reward theit curiosity with custom poems typed on the spot just for them. We can even type on tasseled bookmarks stamped with your festival’s name, date, and logo.
Vintage, Antique, and Era-themed Events
Poetry is timeless, but also wonderfully era-evoking. Whether you’d like us to handwrite proverbs on scrolls or type on vintage typewriters, we can set the atmosphere for any age, from Ancient Greek to Gatsby and beyond.
Annual Fundraisers, raffles, and auctions
Delight donors with a custom typewriter poetry booth as entertainment, or raffle off a sponsored live poetry session or commissioned poem.
Gallery openings
Custom typewriter poems don’t just enchant guests — they provide an original way to reflect and riff on the visual themes all around them. Our poets can spur conversation with prompts like, “If you were a specific hue, which one would you be?”, or “Utter the first word the work behind me brings to your mind.”
Poets • Writers • Calligraphers • Illustrators • Portrait Artists • Performance Artists • Actors • Comedians • Musicians • Tarot Readers • Diviners • Poets • Writers • Calligraphers • Illustrators • Portrait Artists • Performance Artists • Actors • Comedians • Musicians • Tarot Readers • Diviners • Poets • Writers • Calligraphers • Illustrators • Portrait Artists • Performance Artists • Actors • Comedians • Musicians • Tarot Readers • Diviners • Poets • Writers • Calligraphers • Illustrators • Portrait Artists • Performance Artists • Actors • Comedians • Musicians • Tarot Readers • Diviners • Poets • Writers • Calligraphers • Illustrators • Portrait Artists • Performance Artists • Actors • Comedians • Musicians • Tarot Readers • Diviners • Poets • Writers • Calligraphers • Illustrators • Portrait Artists • Performance Artists • Actors • Comedians • Musicians • Tarot Readers • Diviners • Poets • Writers • Calligraphers • Illustrators • Portrait Artists • Performance Artists • Actors • Comedians • Musicians • Tarot Readers • Diviners • Poets • Writers • Calligraphers • Illustrators • Portrait Artists • Performance Artists • Actors • Comedians • Musicians • Tarot Readers • Diviners • Poets • Writers • Calligraphers • Illustrators • Portrait Artists • Performance Artists • Actors • Comedians • Musicians • Tarot Readers • Diviners • Poets • Writers • Calligraphers • Illustrators • Portrait Artists • Performance Artists • Actors • Comedians • Musicians • Tarot Readers • Diviners • Poets • Writers • Calligraphers • Illustrators • Portrait Artists • Performance Artists • Actors • Comedians • Musicians • Tarot Readers • Diviners •
Love Notes from Creative Clients
Have more questions
Ready to learn more? Contact us and we will get back to you within a few days.
Let's create an unforgettable experience together with Ars Poetica.
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FAQs
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It’s amazing!
In all seriousness, inviting a poet or other empathic artist to interact with guests at your event is our passion and our expertise. We seamlessly integrate with almost every type of event, from 20,000-person conferences to bridal showers of just 10 friends. From destination weddings to bar/bat mitzvahs, from product launches to staff appreciation events.
If you want subtle entertainment that won't compete with other activities, a typewriter poet is perfect. They are available to engage with guests one on one and no one is obligated to have the experience if they’re feeling shy. The guest tells the poet their topic, and the poet creates a custom short poem (haiku, limerick, sonnet, rhyming couplet, etc.) within about 1-4 minutes. Our diviners and mystics work similarly: adding to the atmosphere while not requiring everyone’s focus at once.
If you want a stage performance or more of a centerpiece to your event, we can curate spoken word artists to fit your theme or write original performance poems to share with your group. We can also gather input from the attendees to create a longer-form poem to encapsulate the theme of your event. We call this the Grand Finale Poem, and it is a special experience truly unique to what Ars Poetica can provide.
Have a school function or a very creative community? Why not invite an Ars Poetica poet to teach a writing or performance workshop, then host a guided open mic for your community to share their own words with the support of a professional artist?
As you can see: tell us your need, and we’ll offer you the creative entertainment that’s the perfect fit.
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Ars Poetica poets are uniquely interactive and improvisational, and are able to create instant connection and engagement among your guests. In a landscape of photo booths and seen-it-before swag, poetry is an unusual, memorable choice. Perhaps most importantly, poetry adds more than just entertainment to your event—it adds meaning.
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We provide typewriter poetry and creative entertainment in...
New York City
San Francisco
Los Angeles
Sacramento, CA
Washington, DC
Austin, TX
Louisville, KY
Atlanta, GA
Savannah, HA
Tampa, FL
Miami, FL
New Orleans, LA
Chicago, IL
Missoula, MT
Boston, MA
Portland, OR
Seattle, WA
Montreal, QC
Vancouver, BC
London, UK
Paris, FR
Berlin, DE
Milan, IT
CDMX, MX
San Juan, PR
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Bring on the music. Our poets frequently perform at events with live music, and they often get inspired by it. We will work with you to position your poets far enough from the band/speakers so as to facilitate interactions with guests.
Fun fact: We’ve joyfully shared events with countless wedding bands as well as Alabama Shakes, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Rufus Wainwright, and other wonderful artists. Once, a jazz percussionist at an event borrowed one of our typewriters to perform a truly unique “drum” solo on the keys.
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No problem. Just don’t place us right next to the sub-woofer if you can help it.
You can also have your DJ coordinate with your poet, so the poet can get up on the mic and read dedicated poems throughout the evening between songs, or emcee the whole event.
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Yes. We have poets based all around the country, and we love to travel. If you are a large organization or entity that wants poets to be able to travel with you or pop up performing in multiple places at once, we are your best option for artistic and poetic services as we have the largest, most international roster of poets and artists of our kind.
If you're hosting a destination event, we'll send the poet closest to you to keep travel economical, or you can choose from our whole global talent pool.
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The sky’s the limit!
We have performed at multi-day corporate conferences, galas with thousands of attendees, weddings of all sizes, baby showers with just a handful of treasured guests, and everything in-between. We think there’s hardly anywhere we haven’t performed, but we would love for you to surprise us with a totally novel request. (Poetry on the next private space shuttle, perhaps?)
Also, we've found poetry and other forms of creative entertainment can fit in with and elevate many more niche event themes. Obviously any theme related to vintage, history, antique style are a perfect fit. We also love incorporating into specific eras ranging from Victorian to roaring 20s, noir 30s and 40s, Mad Men 50s, hippy 60s... all the way up to Barbie typewriter 80s and 90s!
Think of it this way: we can bring a unique twist to an otherwise relatively simple or generic event, or we can be one creative element of many woven into decadent and elaborate immersive experiences.
Poets • Writers • Calligraphers • Illustrators • Portrait Artists • Performance Artists • Actors • Comedians • Musicians • Tarot Readers • Diviners • Poets • Writers • Calligraphers • Illustrators • Portrait Artists • Performance Artists • Actors • Comedians • Musicians • Tarot Readers • Diviners • Poets • Writers • Calligraphers • Illustrators • Portrait Artists • Performance Artists • Actors • Comedians • Musicians • Tarot Readers • Diviners • Poets • Writers • Calligraphers • Illustrators • Portrait Artists • Performance Artists • Actors • Comedians • Musicians • Tarot Readers • Diviners • Poets • Writers • Calligraphers • Illustrators • Portrait Artists • Performance Artists • Actors • Comedians • Musicians • Tarot Readers • Diviners • Poets • Writers • Calligraphers • Illustrators • Portrait Artists • Performance Artists • Actors • Comedians • Musicians • Tarot Readers • Diviners • Poets • Writers • Calligraphers • Illustrators • Portrait Artists • Performance Artists • Actors • Comedians • Musicians • Tarot Readers • Diviners • Poets • Writers • Calligraphers • Illustrators • Portrait Artists • Performance Artists • Actors • Comedians • Musicians • Tarot Readers • Diviners • Poets • Writers • Calligraphers • Illustrators • Portrait Artists • Performance Artists • Actors • Comedians • Musicians • Tarot Readers • Diviners • Poets • Writers • Calligraphers • Illustrators • Portrait Artists • Performance Artists • Actors • Comedians • Musicians • Tarot Readers • Diviners • Poets • Writers • Calligraphers • Illustrators • Portrait Artists • Performance Artists • Actors • Comedians • Musicians • Tarot Readers • Diviners •