Type rider tour stops in downtown Youngstown

Type rider tour stops in downtown Youngstown

youngstown

A turquoise typewriter sitting in the middle of the sidewalk drew a lot of attention and a few confused stares.

The hope of the woman who put it there was that a few of the people who came across it would sit down and type a few words.

Poet Maya Stein rode to the Lemon Grove Saturday as part of her trek from Amherst, Mass. to Milwaukee, the birthplace of the typewriter, to meet people and get them to write on her vintage typewriter for a collaborative work.

“It hit me when I crossed the Ohio state line how far I’ve come,” she said.

She is riding 40 miles each day. Youngstown was selected as one of the stops for Stein’s 40-day trip because of its population, Stein said. In most instances she stops in small towns and talks to people, but she plans occasional trips to more populous areas where she expects more foot traffic.

The goal is to have people see the typewriter, read the sign which says, “write yourself here,” and write something. She’s there to answer questions for people, Stein said.

“I write a prompt each day. Some people are just inspired to finish the sentence, others sit down for 15 to 20 minutes,” she said.

The goal of having people come by the typewriter on their own increases the authenticity of the work. The people see the vintage typewriter, which is nearly as old as the 40-year-old Stein, and many want to sit and type, she said.