Typewriter Rodeo: Real People, Real Stories, Custom Poems

What began as a playful idea among friends has made its way around the world, inspiring laughter, high-fives, hugs, and tears from New England to Brazil. Typewriter Rodeo celebrates poetry, spontaneity, and above all, the power of human connection.

Both a visual feast and a reference book in the style of Brandon Stanton’s Humans of New York, Typewriter Rodeo collects custom, typewritten poems from “rodeos” worldwide, portraits of recipients, and their personal stories. Typewriter Rodeo began in Austin, Texas, when four poets brought their typewriters to a maker fair and began offering spontaneous, custom-composed poems to an enthusiastic crowd. The event quickly blossomed and rodeos began popping up all over the world.
 

Jodi Egerton holds a Ph.D. in English from UT Austin. With her husband Owen Egerton, Jodi co-wrote the creativity and writing craft book This Word Now.

David Fruchter is a freelance curriculum writer, musician, performance artist and stay-at-home dad. He lives in Austin, Texas with two dogs, two cats, and two ladies, and frequently daydreams of gardening.

Kari Anne Holt is a poet and author. Her books include the middle grade novels-in-verse, Rhyme Schemer, House Arrest, and Knockout.

Sean Petrie has an MFA in Writing for Children from Vermont College of Fine Arts and a law degree from Stanford. He is represented for his fiction writing by Erin Murphy Literary Agency.