LCTA riders to get more poetry in motion

KINGSTON – Three years ago riders on Luzerne County Transportation Authority buses were treated to placards featuring poetry by iconic masters such as Emily Dickinson, James Joyce and Robert Frost. Starting Thursday, those buses will feature the words of Wesley Kinter, Lauren Carey and Justin Jones.

Never heard of them? That’s the point. They’re locals whose work was selected to be showcased on LCTA buses as part of the Poetry in Transit initiative. Started by Wilkes University English professor Mischelle Anthony, each year the number of poems on display has increased and with it, the number of poems written by area residents.

The first year, 12 placards displayed the writings of 20th-century masters like Frost. Last year, local poets’ works were used. This year, the number of Northeastern Pennsylvania writers featured has grown to 27. Among them are Wilkes University alumni Kinter, of Lehman Township, and Carey, of Wilkes-Barre, and current Wilkes student Jones, of Scranton.

All 27 poets who submitted work will have at least one poem posted on one of LCTA’s 38 buses. A handful will have two, including four poets who submitted poetry in English and Spanish. Both versions will be used.

There are 33 placards that will be on display and they’ll be unveiled 3 p.m. Wednesday during a public event at the LCTA bus barn on Northampton Street in Kingston. They all feature art work or photography by Nanticoke resident Mark Golaszewski in addition to the words.

Anthony said the poems have been well received since the project was introduced three years ago. She takes the No. 6 bus to work and back to her home in Luzerne every day and said she has heard positive reviews from fellow riders.

She came up with the idea for the project on those journeys to Wilkes-Barre. She decided the bus would be a great place to introduce people to something that would get them thinking.

“The bus can be a place we can talk about stuff besides advertising or how our weekend went,” Anthony said.

Stan Strelish, executive director of the LCTA, said the authority will remain on board with the project for as long as he’s around.

“We have continued to do this because it just continues to delight our transit riders throughout the entire system,” Strelish said. “There’s nothing like stimulating the mind while sitting on the bus.” He said he’s also proud to see the creativity on display each year by area residents and students.

“It demonstrates the diversity in our education system here at home,” Strelish said, noting that many entries are by current or former area college students.

Anthony’s already planning next year’s version of the project, which she envisions as more of a contest where only the best of the batch make it on the buses.

The project has been welcomed with open arms by the transit authority and Lamar advertising, which donates the advertising space in each bus. Anthony said if Poetry in Transit had to pay for the space for the year it would cost more than $20,000.

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