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East Nashville gifted with free sidewalk poetry

Posted at 5:56 AM, May 02, 2024
and last updated 2024-05-02 11:23:58-04

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — It's a different form of art from what you might expect to see in Nashville.

Maybe you think hearing music bellowing from a nearby bar or restaurant, but this is the clickety-clack of a typewriter.

"It's an incredible environment full of creativity," said Scott Sprunger. "I feel good when I'm here."

Sprunger does "Poetry on the Spot." He's from the Fort Wayne area but brings a table, typewriter, and his creativity to Nashville every now and then. You pick the topic and give him three to five minutes and he'll write a memorable poem.

"Sometimes I misspell things but that's okay," he said. "It's just another way of adding some personalization to the poem."

He started this about six years ago. He's a salesman at his regular job but visits Nashville frequently for work.

"I've always written but about six years ago, I decided on a Saturday morning I wanted to try this so I just took a typewriter and went to the farmer's market," he said.

Sprunger is also close friends with Kirk Jackson, known around Nashville as the Nashville Typewriter.

"For three minutes, five minutes, whatever it is, they're trusting me to create something exclusively for them," Sprunger said.

On a Saturday morning, people lined up outside The Bookshop just to have Sprunger write them a beautiful poem.

"They carry that with them," he said. "They may not look at it all the time but if they look at it from time to time and they smile or may feel sad even at the loss of a loved one or something, that's what it's about."

Sprunger visits cities throughout the region and offers this for free, with tips welcome.


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