Thursday 20 September 2012

Vendor profile: TORONTO POETRY VENDORS


Toronto Poetry Vendors is a mechanical poetry journal which operates out of refurbished gum vending machines. Produced once or twice yearly, issues consist of 10 candy-coloured, hand-folded broadsides by 10 Toronto-based poets, which can be purchased from the machines for a toonie. The most recent issue, cranked out in Spring 2012, features 10 out-of-towner poets from across Canada. 
The permanent machines are located at TYPE Books on Queen Street West and the Tarragon Theatre on Bridgman Ave. Our travelling machine, Snacks, was rescued from an auto body shop, and has toured book fairs and festivals from Brooklyn to Word on the Street to Perth, Ontario. Snacks eats loonies. 
TPV is the gangly baby of poets and girls-about-town Elisabeth de Mariaffi and Carey Toane. We're teaming up with Seen Reading to create a little literary lounge at the Junction Flea this weekend. Come by, buy a book or a poem, take a seat in one of our Solaire chairs, drink some iced tea and enjoy some local literature.