Description
The Poetry Society of New York first emerged under the guise of The Poetry Brothel at The Living Theater in 2008. The Poetry Brothel was conceived as a performance art event aimed at fostering intimacy, urgency and exaltation within the New York poetry community, and at expanding that community to include a more diverse population of artists. In 2009, they oversaw the creation of The Poetry Brothel’s first international chapter, Prostibulo Poetico, founded by PSNY Chief Operating Officer, Kiely Sweatt, in Barcelona. In 2010, The Poetry Brothel and Prostibulo Poetico began a translation project in the hopes of opening the lines of communication between New York poets and poets living abroad, but in order to get funding for such a project, it was time to get legal and form a business entity. Thus began The Poetry Society of New York. Since forming their first company, an LLC, in 2010, they have expanded The Poetry Brothel into over 25 cities across the globe and created The New York City Poetry Festival (founded 2011), The Typewriter Project (founded 2014), Milk Press (founded 2018), and countless smaller projects. Since forming their 501(c)3 corporation, The Poetry Society of New York, Inc., in 2015, they have watched their little society take on a life of its own. Over the years, via its programs and client services, The Poetry Society of New York has brought poetry into the lives of millions.
