A poem a day ...
Belgrade poet, writer installs poetry dispenser downtown
By DAVE RICHARDSON Chronicle Staff Writer
It doesn’t look like much — just a plain, metal box that resembles the paper towel dispenser hanging in the bathroom of your favorite restaurant. Not surprising, since that’s exactly what it is — but with a difference. This box dispenses words. Instead of folded paper towels, the box is filled with folded pieces of paper, each containing a poem written by a local poet. The poetry dispenser, welded to a metal pole and placed unobtrusively on the sidewalk in front of Thirsty Ear Hi-Fi on Main Street downtown, is the brainchild of Michele Corriel, a Belgrade poet and writer. Food for the souls of passers-by, that’s how Corriel describes the idea. “I think everyone should have a poem when they need one,” Corriel said, watching as a a smartly dressed woman walked past and snapped a page out of the dispenser, barely breaking stride.“You know, a poem a day, something like that.” The pages contain poems by Corriel and several other local poets, in a variety of styles that appeal to a variety of tastes, each a snapshot of a world unfolding in the mind of its creator. It’s the kind of interactive art that Corriel — who used to run a music club in New York City and had her own performance-art band there — loves. It offers people food for thought, and exposes them to words, ideas and feelings they might otherwise miss, she said.
“The whole idea is for it to be public,” Corriel said. “A friend of mine has been telling me to get my poetry out there, I just took it literally.” Corriel said she put the poetry dispenser up to coincide with Hatchfest, the multimedia event taking place this week in Bozeman. The dispenser is strategically placed in front of the Hatchfest office, but festival organizers could not be reached for comment by press time. Corriel said the dispenser will be up all week, and may move to another location after the festival is over. She might even put up a few more poetry dispensers around town, or offer them to other cities. After all, she’s got plenty of raw material: her brain buzzes with poetry, plus she’s got a bunch of poetry-popping friends. “And I had to buy five of the dispensers from the restaurant supply place, so I’ve got four more,” Corriel said. “You can have one in your house if you want one.”
