Live Typewriter Poetry for Your Event
Weddings · Corporate Events · Private Parties · Galas
Check Availability2,000+ custom poems at 100+ events
Services we offer
Weddings and private events
Wedding guests sit down at our typewriter during cocktail hour or the reception and leave with a poem typed for them. We write at private parties, too.
Corporate and cultural events
Galas, conference receptions, board dinners, and museum evenings. Each guest leaves with a poem written about them, and we handle setup and coordination ourselves.
Corporate poem commissions
Poems written ahead of your event for board members, keynote speakers, or the wedding party. We research each person, type the poem on archival paper, then frame and ship it.
Personal commissions
A single custom poem for you or someone close to you, typed on vintage paper and mailed by USPS Priority Mail. A personal commission is $100.
Live Typewriter Poetry at Events
At your event, we sit at a table with a vintage typewriter and write a custom poem for each guest, one at a time. Each poem takes just a few minutes. The three steps below show what your guests can expect, from sitting down across from us to leaving with a poem in a clear envelope.
Step 1
Your guest sits down at our table and gives us a topic: a word, a memory, a person they want to recognize. We talk for a few minutes.
Step 2
As they speak, an image forms, and we begin typing while they watch. We use a manual typewriter, archival ink, and vintage paper.
Step 3
We read the finished poem aloud, sign it or stamp it, slide it into a clear envelope, and hand it to your guest.
Meet the poet
I’m Laura Frantz, Poet-in-Chief. I started Charlottesville Poem Store in 2022 to bring together my love of poetry and vintage typewriters, to surmount lifelong shyness, and to connect with people in a new and fulfilling way.
I write on a Royal Quiet De Luxe from the 1940s and can write 10 to 20 poems an hour.
Our headquarters is a small farm in Greene County, Virginia, but we write at weddings, galas, conferences, and private parties across Virginia, Washington, D.C., and anywhere else we’re asked to travel.
Past Client Reviews
“Of all the things we planned for our wedding guests, I still receive comments from friends and family about how special and unique our live poem activation was. This is the hidden gem activation to level up guest experience and connection.”
Suzanne Thibeault
Wedding client
“Laura is a fantastic poet-for-hire! We have used her at multiple events, where she is able to connect with each individual that sits in her chair, and personalize poetry for them. I can’t recommend Laura enough!”
Lauren Thomas
Common House Charlottesville, Charlottesville, VA
“Laura worked closely with me with a joyful, empathetic, creative, and intuitive ear. The result is a beautiful, heartfelt, insightful, and loving commissioned piece of art. I can’t recommend Laura and her team enough!”
Laura Orfanedes
Private poem commission