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Poet cycles, types way through city
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 on 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 chosen 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.
This is not the first such trip for Stein. About a year and a half ago, she took a road trip around the country where she stayed with people who read her blog, and had those she met along the way write.
“This trip, because I’m out on the bike, I’m much more exposed. I’m not able to hide in the car. I’m out in the weather,” Stein said.
Stein arrived at the Lemon Grove to find a waiting cheering section. The group included a friend from Brookfield Township in Trumbull County who flew in from San Francisco, Sherry Richert Belul, who will travel with Stein for a few days of the tour, and two who drove from Nashville to Youngstown, Kim Eisenstein and Stephanie Hodgson, who writes under the name Stephie Goldfish.
Eisenstein and Hodgson had met Stein only once before Saturday. They attended an event in Asheville, N.C., when Stein was driving across the country.
“We each had three poems published in her last book,” Eisenstein said of herself and Hodgson.
Belul said she was looking forward to traveling with Stein and wished she had planned better so she could go on more stops.
“It’s really important to her [Stein] to get out and meet with people,” Belul said.
Jacob Harver, proprietor, said he always enjoys having traveling artists come to the Lemon Grove.
“We’ve had several come in who were either on a walking or biking tour,” he said. “I like the idea of the Great American trek, taking to the road.”
Allowing artists to come to the Lemon Grove shows them something that is unique in Youngstown, Harver said. The goal is to have people coming through the area learn that Youngstown is a city that supports culture and art.