Georgetown University Medical Center, 2020

Two Listener Poets brought their typewriters to Georgetown University Medical Center for one week, right before the COVID-19 pandemic began to shut things down in earnest, with a goal of helping fight burnout. Their signs offered Free Custom Poetry. Curious people stopped to take them up on it. Each time, the Listener Poet asked, “What should the poem be about?” Then, they listened.

Inspired by those conversations, the poems in this book tell the stories of some of the humans who spend time there.

Listener Poets Ravenna Raven and Jenny Hegland

Washington, D.C.

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Johns Hopkins Sibley Memorial Hospital, 2020

Our Listener Poets spent six weeks visiting several units of Johns Hopkins Sibley Memorial Hospital. When a curious person saw their signs and stopped to take them up on the Free Custom Poetry they offered, each Listener Poet asked, “What should the poem be about?” Then, they listened.

Inspired by those conversations, the poems in this book tell the stories of some of the humans who work there.

Listener Poets Jenny Hegland, Ravenna Raven, and Frankie Abralind

Washington, D.C.

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Inova Schar Cancer Institute, 2019

Every Wednesday, a Listener Poet would sit in a public space at Inova's Schar Cancer Institute in Fairfax, Virginia with a Free Custom Poetry sign and a typewriter. When a curious person stopped to take up the offer, the Listener Poet would ask, "What should the poem be about?" Then, they listened.

The poems in this book, inspired by those conversations, tell the stories of some of the humans in that hospital.

Listener Poets Katherine Gekker and Frankie Abralind

Fairfax, Virginia

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The Gold Humanism Summit, 2019

Listener Poets sat in the lobby by the registration table for four days during the Gold Humanism Summit at Planetree’s International Conference in Orlando, FL with a Free Custom Poetry sign and their typewriters. When a curious person stopped to take one of them up the offer, the Listener Poet asked, “What should the poem be about?” Then, they listened.

Inspired by those conversations, the poems in this book tell the stories of some of the humans attending that event.

Listener Poets Ravenna Raven, Kay McKean, and Frankie Abralind

Orlando, Florida

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Mayo Clinic Transform Conference, 2019

Two Listener Poets sat in the lobby by the registration table at the Mayo Clinic’s Transform conference in Rochester, MN, with a Free Custom Poetry sign and their typewriters. When a curious person stopped to take one of them up the offer, the Listener Poet asked, “What should the poem be about?” Then, they listened.

Inspired by those conversations, the poems in this book tell the stories of some of the humans attending that event.

Listener Poets Ravenna Raven and Frankie Abralind

Rochester, Minnesota

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Erie Shores Healthcare, 2019

For four weeks, Listener Poet Elle Klassen sat in the cafeteria of a hospital in Leamington, Ontario with a sign advertising Free Custom Poetry and her typewriter. When curious folks took her up on the offer, she asked, “What should the poem be about?” Then, she listened.

These poems, inspired by those conversations, tell the stories of some of the humans in that hospital.

Listener Poet Elle Klassen

Leamington, Ontario

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International Integrative Nursing Symposium, 2019

For the three days of the International Integrative Nursing Symposium in Galway, Ireland, Listener Poet Frankie Abralind sat in a hallway with his typewriter and a Free Custom Poetry sign. When curious folks came up to the table to take him up on his offer, he asked, “What should the poem be about?” Then, he listened.

These poems, inspired by those conversations, tell the stories of some of those amazing humans.

Listener Poet Frankie Abralind

Galway, Ireland

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American Nurses Association Annual Conference, 2019

At the 2019 American Nurses Association annual conference, Listener Poet Frankie Abralind sat and listened to RNs, NPs, CNAs, DNPs, LPNs, CNOs, and other nursing heroes and heroines who approached him and his typewriter at the Free Custom Poetry table he’d set up in the bookstore.

These poems, inspired by those conversations, tell the stories of some of those amazing humans.

Listener Poet Frankie Abralind

Orlando, Florida

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Johns Hopkins Sibley Memorial Hospital, 2018

Over the course of a month and a half, poet Elle Klassen had one-on-one conversations with nurses, patients, doctors, family members, clinical technicians, administrators – really anyone who approached her and her typewriter at the Free Custom Poetry table she’d set up in their hospital.

The poems inspired by these conversations tell the stories of some of those humans.

Listener Poet Elle Klassen

Washington, D.C.

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