Who is The Traveling Typist?
I am Chicago’s only full-time on-demand typewriter poet, and I am the founder of The Traveling Typist. I wrote my first poem twenty five years ago, and picked up my first typewriter sixteen years ago.
I studied the anthropology of slam poetry during my MA in linguistics at NEIU, and got a full-ride scholarship for my MFA in Creative Writing from DePaul.
I tried working in a corporate office, but in the end, I quit my terrible job as a property manager and became a full-time poet. My patrons are my muses; together we co-create a moment suspended in time. You may have seen me in action on METV, NBC 5’s Chicago Today or on WBBM.
My offering is a spontaneous encounter and an intimate, utterly unique artistic experience. Let’s create something together.
More than just poetry - About Kro
I am the author of several books and chapbooks, such as Tales from the Abandoned Greenhouse (Bottlecap Press, 2024), and Prayer Wheel (Ingram Spark, 2022), and my novel-in-progress, Dreamfont.
I’ve lived many lives, from Buddhist community organizer to moth-breeder to professional fire-spinner to sound-healing facilitator. I bring a strange and wonderful wellspring of lived experience to my poetry.
You can learn more about me here.
I’m Kro, and I’ve created more than 10,000 spontaneous typewriter poems for the people of Chicago, and across the world.
from weddings & brand activations to poetry in the streets
In the cold months, you can find me at select indoor markets, or you can email me and request a custom poem. I also appear at corporate events, fundraisers, galas, and brand activations. But as soon as it’s warm enough (April-October) I take out my wagon and start popping up all over town! Street performance is at the heart of my art. Everyone needs a poem.
I perform spoken word sets, I teach workshops and classes, I act as a private writing coach, and I create immersive poetic experiences. I’m doing what I can to make this world more poetic, one letter at a time.
