Poem District

The Poem District aims to transform the neighborhoods around our Brooklyn storefront into an open-air anthology, with dozens of poems on the walls of buildings in the coming years. Sites will include bookstores, public schools, community gardens, cafes and restaurants, offices of local civic and cultural organizations, and public housing developments. The project will include a mix hand-painted and vinyl installations, and will feature poets from a diverse range of backgrounds. 

The Poetry Society has completed three installations, with another half dozen planned for fall 2025. Current installations include a poem by Aimee Nezhukumatathil on the wall of Books Are Magic bookstore at Smith and Butler, a poem by Craig Santos Perez on the wall of PS 261 on Pacific Street between Smith and Hoyt, and a poem by Noelle Kocot on the wall of Malin + Goetz at the corner of Smith and Dean. Upcoming installations will feature poems by Aria Aber, Carmen Giménez, Tracy K. Smith in Carroll Gardens, Boerum Hill, Gowanus, and Cobble Hill. 

Designed by Other Means, a Brooklyn graphic design studio specializing in language and type treatments, the poems are installed by Will Van Zee of Van Zee Sign Co. and Johnny Rivera at Nela Visual. The Poem District is supported by the New York City Department of Small Business Services through the Public Realm Grant program and the Destina Foundation.