Street Sense Gets Poetic
Since 2003, D.C. residents have been able to pick up a copy of the now bi-monthly newspaper Street Sense from a local vendor for a dollar. Inside, one finds in-depth reporting on issues of homelessness and poverty, profiles of vendors -- members of the homeless who make 75 cents off every paper sold -- information on services by shelters, veterans groups and other organizations, book reviews (the current issue tackles John Edwards' Ending Poverty in America), and, of course, a Sudoku puzzle.
Smack in the middle of the issue is the poetry corner, with works written by the homeless or formerly homeless. After over 100 issues, Street Sense has compiled these into a book, Street Verses. The publication held a launch party last weekend at Busboys and Poets that included a poetry reading, a musical interlude by guitar-strumming Dennis Sobin from the Prisons Foundation, and a preview of Street Sense TV.
The 81-page book is mostly the story of homelessness from experience, from the feeling of terrible hunger overcoming pride at accepting help, to sitting beneath a beautiful tree during autumn and watching its leaves fall for hours. Some poets cover expected turf, like August Mallory's "He Once Had A Home," the straightforward ponderings of a man as "Over and over and over the question continues to linger in his mind / 'how did it all happen?'" Some verses explore how faith can help reconcile moments and mistakes that lead to homelessness, such as Anonymous' "The Prisoner," who eloquently describes Caesar "unashamed when bending his knee," asking forgiveness for his failings.
Photo of Jesse Smith, also this month's Featured Vendor, reading from Street Verses at the launch party.
The compilation is a swath of emotions, as David Harris describes sitting in Foggy Bottom while wistfully imagining "Parisian alleys" and "bubbling spring[s]" in the poem "River," while others describe being mocked by businessmen while trying to sell their copies of Street Sense. The poets ask you to see their lives and experiences, rather than pass them by as the nameless homeless, and many of the poems are feelings that can be shared by all of us (this writer particularly enjoyed Tami E. Townsend's "Sunday": "Writer's block / On the brain / Oh, how it puts a lock / Come up with words / That flow / Make sense / Nothing obscured." I hear that.)
Heartwarmingly, many of the poets express gratitude for their experiences with Street Sense, which, while many employers turn their backs, trusted these folks with a job and gave many of them a sense of purpose. The book includes many odes like the one by Anthony Ellis, who writes, "Street Sense is a god-send / It is a powerful statement / It is a thing you must experience for yourself."
The success of the Street Sense organization is clear. Not only have they come up with a unique and powerful book of verse, but their paper is selling so well it recently became bi-monthly. If you're not convinced yet, wait until September when Street Sense TV will hit local cable. The 13 episode run will focus on the daily routine of being homeless, and will include information for both the homeless and potential volunteers. The episode previewed at the launch party, titled "Gotta Go," discussed the bathroom conundrum of being homeless with personal accounts, interesting facts (Los Angeles has state-of-the-art public bathrooms that cost $250K a piece), and a healthy dose of humorous self-deprecation. The series doesn't have an exact premiere date yet, but will run on D.C. cable channel 51. Street Sense is also looking for people who can donate or lend video cameras and equipment.
You can buy a copy of Street Verses online for $12.50. If you'd like to host a poetry reading, contact Street Sense at info [at] streetsense [dot] org.