Poets’ Playground: Poetry Fox, not in costume

This is a unique opportunity to hear from the hardest working person in poetry, Chris Vitiello (Poetry Fox and Durham Poet Laureate). We will explore how he creates such voluminous work from inside the fox costume, the non-fox writing and publishing he does, and more about his efforts to spread poetry around the triangle.

Arrive between 4PM and 7PM to check out “Reader’s Rallyway,” a local poetry book fair alongside a literary art installation featuring poems from revolutionary writers in familiar third spaces throughout Boxyard RTP.

Looking for more? Check out two experiences offering poetic relief and the tools to refresh your poetry practice. 

About the speakers: 

Chris Vitiello

Chris Vitiello is the current Poet Laureate of Durham. He is also a critic and performer. His most recent poetry books are Irresponsibility and Obedience  (both Ahsahta Press). As the Poetry Fox, he writes custom poems on-demand on vintage typewriters at around 250 events a year. After winning the 2017 ArtPrize Pitch Night, he took his performance installation The Language Is Asleep to the Grand Rapids Art Museum, and has reprised the immersive work for Duke University’s StoryCon, Raleigh’s Block Gallery, the Greensboro Project Space, and Augusta, GA’s Westobou. As a teacher, he has lectured and led poetry workshops in public/private K-12 schools, university MFA programs, corporate and arts settings, and prisons and elder care facilities. He also organizes community art events throughout the Triangle and has curated exhibitions at the Ackland Art Museum at UNC-Chapel Hill and at The Carrack and The Fruit in Durham.

Sam Pepple

Sam Pepple is a poet, educator, and organizer in Raleigh, NC. He founded Paradigm Poetry in 2023, a poetry collective that puts on a bi-monthly reading series and does frequent workshops. When Sam is not poeming, he likes to spend time with his wife looking for good food or walking his dog along the city’s greenway.

Homecoming is a community-led poetry jam that brings the voices of artists, organizers, and advocates under one roof. Check out the full event agenda here.

Hosted by Paradigm Poetry

Ages 16+. All proceeds support local artists and changemakers.

Powered by Poets’ Playground.