Skip to content

Want to Hear a Poem? Dial 585-546-2531

There’s real pleasure in hearing a poem read aloud. Certain rhythms and textures reveal themselves aurally that may not pop in quite the same way were we only to read them on the page.

There’s pleasure too, these days, in using a telephone. Phone booths are making a comeback, for  example.

While we may never return to the wart-like, wall-mounted landlines of our youth (or some of our youths), dialing a phone number and hearing someone pick up on the other end can remind us of minor miracles. For a lot of folks under thirty, using a telephone is not an every-day, or even an every-week, occurrence. (Don’t forget to call your parents, kids.)

Re-launched for 2018 and serving up a kitschy blend of nostalgia and innovation, Poem by Phone offers a different poem every day. Listeners who call the number are treated to poems written and read by noted poets, one to two minutes in length. It’s a great way for poets to connect with their readers.

Check it out by dialing:


Poem by Phone is dedicated to the creator of Dial a Poem, John Giorno, who made poems available by phone for a number of years between 1969-2012.

These days, our cell phones do so much, we tend to forget there’s a phone function at all. Why not give that keypad a workout and, when you have a minute or two today, give Poem by Phone a ring?