Media Relations Contact:
Morgan Lyons
Mark A. Ball

December 4, 2009

Riders can take a mental break from their day

DART and Richland put Poetry in Motion

Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) and Richland College have unveiled their twelfth collection of "Poetry in Motion" which includes works by Dallas' own Farid Matuk and Susan Briante.

The 15-poem collection, by both contemporary and traditional poets, is displayed on DART buses and trains. The local effort is part of the national Poetry Society of America program that allows millions of riders in U.S. cities to take a mental break from their day.

Jerry McElveen, English and British Literature instructor at Richland College, said the program is a good way to bring poetry to people on their way to work and other places. "It provides a little aesthetic food. It provides a little pleasure. It gives them something to think about," said McElveen. "I have students in class who mention seeing the poetry on DART buses and trains."

In addition to local poets, the new series includes poems by Henry David Thoreau, William Shakespeare and William Wordsworth.

The Poetry in Motion collection was unveiled in a ceremony at Richland College - Garland Campus, on Friday, Dec. 4.

DART brought Poetry in Motion to North Texas in 1998. Richland College has collaborated with DART in support of this program since 1999. To view an online gallery of this year's collection, visit www.DART.org/poetry

Click on each poem to view a larger image