FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What are the services you offer?
We started out specializing in on-demand custom haiku written on vintage typewriters way back in 2012. But now, we do that and so much more. You can book an Ars Poetica artist for any type of literary, poetic, or word-based entertainment at events large and small. You can also book our artists to teach workshops, give inspiring TED Talk-style presentations about creativity, entrepreneurship, poetry, and art. Writing workshops can be as short as 30 minutes or as long as a multi-day experience, both online and IRL. In addition to our specialty of short custom poetry, we also offer calligraphy, illustration, music, emcee services, tarot, astrology, storytelling, and more.
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How much does it cost?
Our rates vary depending on the size and type of event or need. If you are a large company or corporation or booking an event for more than 100 people, a typical engagement starts at about $1750. It is scaled according to the number of hours, number of artists needed, any necessary extra supplies or equipment, and travel costs, if any. For small, private events or charitable organizations, we offer discounts and reduced prices on a case-by-case basis. For teaching, a workshop or presentation starts at $20/attendee for a 30-minute online poetry workshop and increases based on location, length of time, number of presenters, and needs.
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What is the experience of having a poet at my event?
It’s amazing!
No, but seriously, inviting a poet to interact with guests at your event is our passion and our expertise. We seamlessly integrate with every type of event, from 20,000-person conferences to bridal showers of 10, from destination weddings to bar/bat mitzvahs to product launches to staff appreciation events.
If you want subtle entertainment that won't disturb or compete with other activities, a typewriter poet is perfect. They are available to engage with guests one on one. The guest tells the poet their topic, and the poet creates a custom short poem (haiku, limerick, sonnet, rhyming couplet, etc.) within about 2-4 minutes.
If you want 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.
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.
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How long does it take to write a poem?
- A haiku takes as little as 60-120 seconds.
- Limerick takes about 3-5 minutes to write.
- Sonnets can be written in 5-7 minutes.
- Myths, fairy tales, and stories need 7+ minutes to create.
- Adding calligraphy or illustration to poems adds another 2-3 minutes to each poem.
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What are the types of events you can perform at?
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, anyone?)
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Can I request a specific poet to perform?
Yes. If your preferred poet is available, we will send them. All of our poets are amazing, if we may say so ourselves, and we also make every effort to choose the perfect poet for your event based on your preferences and the poet’s particular specialties and artistic gifts.
With an intersectional team of artists on our roster, you can also request artists of specific backgrounds and lived experiences just as LGBTQIA2S+ artists, BIPOC, Black and POC artists, disabled poets, poets who speak Spanish, French, Creole, Chinese, Japanese, Italian, German, ASL sign language…
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What is included when booking a poet?
A poet arrives at your event finely dressed (with their own manual typewriter if you’ve booked typewriter poetry) a supply of fine-quality paper or cardstock – depending on your needs – and an inked stamp that is customized for your event (featuring your logo, honoree’s name, social media info, hashtag, etc.). If you want to get extra creative or your needs are more specialized, there are lots of fun options we can explore—our custom poems have been engraved on wine bottles, broadcast on-screen at hackathons, and even tattooed!
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Who is the owner of Ars Poetica?
Poet, polyglot, and multi-talented people-connector Lisa Ann Markuson is the owner and founder of Ars Poetica.
With a degree in International Studies from the University of San Francisco and graduate studies in International Communications at American University, Lisa Ann’s first career was in cultural diplomacy. She left her role as the Director of Meridian International’ Center’s International Children’s Festival in Washington, DC to move to New York City to become a typewriter poet some time in the early twenty-teens.
Now, she has 10 years of experience as a freelancer, indie event producer, journalist, curator, social media executive, yoga teacher, copywriter, brand consultant, certified tour guide, and CEO - talk about a multi-hyphenate. Her woman-owned, inclusive and sustainable business model now celebrates the multitalented nature of her artists through her creative agency, Ars Poetica. Her dream? To fulfill the potential that poetry has to enrich every type of experience, on and off the page. And always outside of the lines.
Through her work, Lisa Ann has produced, performed at, and curated events for The Smithsonian, The Chilean Embassy, Macy’s, Google, Twitter, Facebook, Bowery Poetry Club, Bloomberg, Women’s Wear Daily, The New School, The City of Sacramento, USC’s Pacific-Asia Museum, and countless more.
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How long have you been in business?
We have been writing custom poetry at events since 2012 and hope to continue doing so until at least 3012.
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Why do you type on typewriters?
There is an instant appeal and intrigue that comes with the sight and sound of a typewriter in action. People are charmed, and they will usually come over with openness and curiosity to find out what’s going on. Each typewritten poem is an instant, indelible, one-of-a-kind memento of your event, complete with the poet’s signature. There is also an option to have a custom rubber stamp on the back with a logo, image, or words that are important to you and your event.
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I like the idea but don’t want a typewriter poet - what else do you offer?
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 during an event and incorporate their ideas into a longer-form poem that encapsulates the theme of your event, performed live at a chosen moment.
Ars Poetica poets are also available to teach writing or performance workshops, and then host a guided open mic for your community to share their own words with the support of a professional artist.
Beyond this, the options are endless - we have artists who specialize in wellness and healing, astrology, tarot, dance, music, illustration, portraiture, and much more. If you have an idea for creative entertainment at your event - drop us a note and we can probably make it happen.
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What are the payment options?
You can pay us via Credit Card, Wire Transfer, Check, Cash, and if none of those work we can accept PayPal or Venmo too.
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Do you perform nationwide?
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.
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Do you perform internationally?
Absolutely. Our poets have performed in Japan, France, the U.K., Germany, Spain, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and many other international locales. As the saying goes: have passport and typewriter – will travel.
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Why should I choose poets instead of a photo booth?
We know, a picture is worth a thousand words, and we like photo booths, too – but poets are so much more unusual and memorable. People treasure their custom poems and quite often end up framing them. Trust us.
Similarly to a photo booth, we customize our setup to the theme of your event, we can add your logo and social info to our poems, and we provide a physically and digitally shareable memento for your guests.
If your budget allows, keep the photo booth and have us set up beside them! People love to actually have their photo taken WITH their poem.
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What type of poetry do you serve?
We specialize in short-form poetry, from bite-sized haiku or couplets to slightly longer limericks and sonnets. We write various lengths of free-verse, too.
A haiku takes as little as 60-120 seconds.
Limerick takes about 3-5 minutes to write.
Sonnets can be written in 5-7 minutes.
Myths, fairy tales, and stories need 7+ minutes to create.
For tarot and astrological readings, alot at least 7 minutes.
If you’d like Tarot Poems (tarot or astro reading with a poem at the end) take 10 minutes.
Adding calligraphy or illustration to poems adds another 2-3 minutes to each poem.
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Can a poet and a DJ perform at an event together?
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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Should there be live music at my party too, or will that conflict with the poet?
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, 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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Will the poet perform a poem on stage too?
Certainly, if requested. Let us know what you have in mind. We can share poems written throughout the evening, create a longer poem combining the night’s poems, or share a set of our original work, catering to the theme.
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In what cities are your poets based?
We have poets currently based in all of these fair cities. If you are a poet in a city where we are not yet represented - please feel free to send your resumé to admin@arspoetica.us to be considered as an addition to our roster.
New York City
San Francisco
Los Angeles
Sacramento, CA
Washington, DC
Austin, TX
Louisville, KY
Atlanta, GA
Jacksonville, FL
New Orleans, LA
Chicago, IL
Missoula, MT
Boston, MA
Portland, OR
Seattle, WA
Montreal, QC
Vancouver, BC
London, UK
Paris, FR
Berlin, DE
CDMX, MX
San Juan, PR
...and we travel nationally and internationally.
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Do you have discounted rates for schools or nonprofits?
Yes. We offer discounts and reduced prices on a case-by-case basis. We love supporting causes especially that focus on issues regarding:
racial justice,
LGBTQIA2S+ communities,
immigrant and migrant rights,
mental health,
environmental stewardship,
women’s rights,
reproductive justice,
the abolishing of the US prison system,
criminal justice reform,
electoral politics and voting rights,
international relations, and
diplomacy.
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I want a poet to come to teach poetry at my school – can you do that?
Yes. We love visiting classrooms and facilitating workshops for students of all ages. Some ideas for activities for school age children and youth include:
National Poetry Month programming
Spoken word events
Open mics for kids/youth
Poetry writing workshops
Poetry performance workshops
Creative writing therapy (we have licensed therapists and art therapists on our roster)
Art therapy
Inspiring talks about pursuing art and entrepreneurship-related careers
Round table discussions with intersectional poets and artists
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We need a group activity for my work event – can you teach poetry to adults?
Absolutely. We can craft a poetry workshop or tutorial just for fun or with a specific goal in mind, from team building to problem solving to generating ideas and creative expression. We have even done therapeutic poetry immersions for Doctors working in high pressure hospital environments.
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What are the benefits of having poetry at my event?
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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Will you perform at a festival?
Sure, we love festivals and have performed at all different kinds—wellness, art, and food, to name a few. Some festivals we have performed at including Wanderlust Yoga Festivals, Sweetlife Music Festivals, Google iO tech festivals, Burning Man, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, the Jazz Age Lawn Party, and more.
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Do you speak any other languages?
Select poets on our roster can write and perform in a variety of languages besides English, including Spanish, Swedish, French, Haitian Creole, German, Italian, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and more.
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I want LGBTQIA2S+ poets at my event – do you have any on your roster?
You bet! Man of our artists identify as queer in some capacity; for some, it is a huge part of their identity, and they are particularly passionate about connecting with allies and like-minded folks. Let us know what particular communities you are trying to serve and represent, and we’ll get you an amazing artist who is a member of that community.
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I want my artists to be diverse and represent my community - can I choose artists based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, or language?
Ars Poetica is proud of our diverse roster of poets and artists, and we are happy to send you poets who can best connect with your community and create a welcoming environment through shared languages, identities, and experiences.
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how you plant a tree for every poem written. What made you start this? How is it going?
We wanted a direct, quantifiable connection to be made between entertaining and delighting a guest at a party, and healing our climate. It’s gaining momentum but now we really need an institutional partner to step up to help subsidize the work since we are getting so many more poem requests.
Email lamarks@arspoetica.us for more info about that.
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I see that your goal is to plant a million trees, how is that going? Is there anything that will help the process?
See above, but to explain further, I have even made a deck all about our capabilities and vision. We need at least 100,000 in unrestricted funding to be able to continue and expand this vision. A huge apparel brand, shoe company, drinks, car, finance, or tech firm… a government grant... these types of partners will be what makes our vision possible.
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Is there anything you would love to share about Ars Poetica, your poets or anything at all?
Sure! I have a few specific enormous goals I’d like to get out there:
- We are writing a Broadway musical that is going to rock your world.
- We are working on creating a Poet’s Forest Eco Village and Resort in land previously used for coal mining in Kentucky.
And finally:
- High schools, colleges and universities: book poets to perform at your institutions and inspire them! Don’t waste this incredibly important moment to empower a new generation.
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What is the number one thing you want someone who doesn’t know about Ars Poetica or mission to know?
Poetry is for everyone. It is an incredible gift and force for connection and cultivating empathy, as well as an elevated and beautiful form of entertainment. And for those in the event / entertainment / content creation industries: It’s up to you to prioritize hiring the companies who have a vision for a better world, who provide opportunities to talent that deserve them, and who are creating more than “entertainment for entertainment’s sake.” Think carefully about who you hire, and hire Ars Poetica ;)
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