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Our Philosophy
When we listen—fully, and attentively, we open a space where truth and possibility can appear. Thoughtful listening, followed by a reflective, poetic response, reconnects us to what is already alive within: a shared ground of meaning, dignity, and calm. This is not escape or ornamentation; it is a disciplined, humble practice that restores relationship: between people, between story and present, between individual voice and collective experience.
Poetic co-creation names this practice and its outcome. It is the deliberate act of shaping language and attention together so that beauty is not merely admired but released into the world. In doing so we repair and renew the shared narratives that orient us; our collective mythology of who we are and what we can become. The work reclaims aliveness as a communal resource: an ethical, aesthetic, and spiritual force that invites belonging, responsibility, and transformation.
We commit to listening, reflecting with care, and to language that honors what is spoken and broadens what is possible. Through poetic co-creation we cultivate presence, restore common story, and make room for peace and unity rooted in reality—simple, profound, and accessible to everyone.
Our Mission
We bring the connecting, healing, and enlivening power of poetry into the spaces where people live, gather, work, learn, and celebrate. Through thoughtful experiences, creative invitations, and opportunities for participation, we make poetry a living force in everyday life—opening space for deeper attention, expression, compassion, and belonging. In doing so, we help people reconnect to themselves, to one another, and to the shared humanity that makes community possible.
Our Vision
We believe the vitality of poetry reflects the vitality of a society. Throughout history, poets have stood at odds with tyranny—guarding truth, resisting erasure, and giving language to freedom. But poetry does more than resist: it teaches us to notice, to delight, and to share beauty with one another. It keeps alive the inner worlds oppressive forces seek to flatten, while reminding us that pleasure, tenderness, and imagination are essential to being fully human.
We envision a future in which poetry is woven into the fabric of life, poets can thrive, and all people are more free to feel, imagine, speak, and express who they truly are. To let poetry live is to help create a society that is more just, more connected, and more fully alive. When poetry lives, so do we.
Lisa Ann Markuson
With a degree in International Studies from University of San Francisco, and one semester of graduate studies in International Communications at American University, Lisa Ann was on track to launch a career in cultural diplomacy. That is, until the day that her extremely serious boss sat her down in his office and said,
“You remind me of my sister, and I don’t like that. You need to tone down your style and learn to fit in more if you’re going to succeed in this organization.”
That was the end of her government career.
Now, with 15 years of experience behind the keys, she’s made a radical shift to a more feminist, inclusive, and sustainable business model to celebrate the multitalented nature of her artists. Her dream? To fulfill the potential that poetry has to enrich every type of experience, on and off the page.
Lisa Ann takes her biggest pleasure in life from eating sushi and writing and performing custom poetry around the world, and will be honored to write your poems in Spanish, English, or Swedish.
Whether you’re planning a conference that calls for more than background noise, a wedding or milestone that deserves something deeply personal, or a hotel, restaurant, or retail space wanting to surprise and delight guests, we can’t wait to bring poetry to life at your event.
Let’s get poetic
FAQs
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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 keynote 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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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 $2500. 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, starting at $500. 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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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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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…
Book now!
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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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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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Absolutely. Our poets have performed or are based in the US, Canada, Japan, France, the U.K., Germany, Sweden, Spain, Mexico, The Caribbean, Brazil, Australia, and many other international locales. As the saying goes: have passport and typewriter – will travel.