“I love this band of spontaneous writers — they always lift the mood.”
— Naomi Shihab Nye, U.S. young people’s poet laureate
“Typewriter Rodeo is an exciting project that implicates perfect strangers in the business of poetry by spontaneously writing a poem about them. It’s not that the composers think revision is for pantywaists, they just have to get on to the next person in line!”
— Billy Collins, two-term U.S. Poet Laureate
“Filled with the delicious danger of creativity in front of strangers, your heart is hungry for this art.”
— Laurie Halse Anderson, National Book Award finalist & author of Speak
“Thank you for the Austin-esque book of damn fine poetry (and faces). And for keeping the sound and fury of typewriting available to all… Yee Haw!”
— Tom Hanks, actor, author, typewriter enthusiast
“Your skill and speed are unparalleled — we’ve never seen anything like it.”
— Smithsonian National Museum of American History (D.C.)
“Not just entertainment, this was a gift — a personal, emotional keepsake for each employee.”
— PayPal
“A HUGE hit! We heard countless wonderful reports from those lucky enough to see your poetic magic.”
— Sun Valley (Idaho) Writers’ Conference
“You were such a gift to all our guests. Thank you for your amazing poetry and all the memories you created!”
— Dublin (Ohio) Arts Council
“That was a marathon. Y’all are pros!”
— Seattle Art Museum
“Can’t say enough about phenomenal Typewriter Rodeo — the hit of our company party!!”
— The Castle Group (Boston)
“A success beyond measure — Jodi and Sean were warm, funny and engaging, with a shared love of the written word and a penchant for mischief.”
– Odessa Arts (Odessa, TX)
“Thank you for making our Cabo poetry-on-the-beach event so special. Everyone loved their poems and kept sharing them!”
— Hilton Resorts (Cabo San Lucas, Mexico)
“This is so badass.”
— Briscoe Museum of Western Art, poem recipient (San Antonio)
“The poem you wrote had us completely undone and crying. We wiped the tears away, laughing. About 30 minutes later, we tried re-reading it — and fell apart again, the tears running down our cheeks. The next day I framed it and gave it to Cas for Valentine’s Day.”
— Mary Yznaga & Cas Milner, Ransom Center Museum, Alice in Wonderland exhibit opening, party guests (Austin)
“Typewriter Rodeo is the next big interactive entertainment that corporate programs are seeking. It’s just the right mix of creative and nostalgia.”
— Red Velvet Events (Austin)
“Your workshop was wonderful preparation for our 5th graders, who then hosted their own Typewriter Rodeo. By far the most successful event we’ve had this year.”
— BridgePoint Elementary (Austin)
“It was like having celebrities at our school!”
— Rawson Saunders School (Austin)
“Thank you so much for all the joy you brought yesterday for people with cancer and those who care for them.”
— Amy’s Treat (Seacoast, NH)
“You guys are our favorite part of this whole party! You were like 10 times better than the alcohol — and that’s saying something.”
— Electronic Arts (EA) company holiday party, guest dressed as Falcor (Austin)
“Our wedding guests couldn’t stop talking about how much fun they were having getting poems written.”
— Ashlyn B., bride (Austin)
“You were such a delight to work with, and gave us a constant line of eager guests!”
— Stance Socks Corp., at Willie Nelson’s “Heartbreaker Banquet” festival (Luck, TX)
“You’re always everyone’s favorite!”
— Adlucent Corp. (Austin)
“Great company anniversary party! Loved the Typewriter Rodeo!”
— Michelle Wu, Mayor of Boston
“This is probably one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen!”
— Audi conference, party guest (Austin)
“The most delicate, creative memento I ever took from a corporate event — from any event, as a matter of fact.”
— Roberta Bronzatto, PayPal conference attendee (Brazil)
“You were the hit of the party!”
— InComm conference (Austin)
“Amazingly cool to hire for your corporate conference.”
— Jo Miller, Women’s Leadership Coaching CEO
“You helped make our QWERTY Festival a success.”
— Museum of Printing (Haverhill, MA)
“TypewriterRodeo blew our minds last night at ‘Phillips After 5’. So many amazing poems created on the spot.”
— Phillips Collection Museum (D.C.)
“As indelible as your typewriters and talent are, your heart and compassion for every person who stands in front of you with words and ideas that you shape into beautiful form, is the lasting memory. With heartfelt thanks and enormous gratitude.”
— Nantucket Book Festival (Nantucket, MA)
“Thank you so much for your beautiful Christmas poems! You conveyed exactly what I wanted Aunt Becky to hear – she cried, laughed, then cried some more – it was so touching.”
— Kara S., Texas
“You guys are amazingggg. We now have awesome poems to frame!”
— Dallas Museum of Art, “After Dark” party, poem recipient
“You were such a hit!”
— Dallas Museum of Art
“By far, the best souvenir I’ve ever gotten anywhere!”
— Thinkery21 Museum, poem recipient (Austin)
“Amazing poem! Getting this printed and framed.”
— Thinkery21 Museum, poem recipient (Austin)
“The sleeper hit of the Festival!”
— Nantucket Book Festival (Nantucket, MA)
“Long after the event, Typewriter Rodeo was what most people were still talking about.”
— Writers League of Texas Agents & Editors Conference (Austin)
“It was part art, part therapy. What a deal!”
— Texas Book Festival, poem recipient (Austin)
“It was inspiring to watch everyone leave our booth with such a smile!”
— Stance Socks
“Your poem was my favorite thing from our trip to Texas. What you wrote for me really touched my heart, and it is something I will truly treasure!”
— Heartbreaker Banquet, poem recipient (Luck, TX)
“We want you back every time we have an event!”
— UT Elementary (Austin)
“Wow that was fun! Thank you so much for coming to our school!”
— Pillow Elementary (Austin)
“All our wedding guests adored their poems and couldn’t stop raving about how creative and unique the experience was — even days/weeks after!”
— Lauren & Jon, wedding couple (Austin)
“At the end of the party, the couple placed your poems in a book as a permanent keepsake. That was the BEST party favor!”
— Anniversary Party guest (Star, TX)
“Your poem reduced my husband to a delightfully blubbering mess. A deep, heartfelt thank you and hearty hugs. You are AMAZING!”
— Susan M. (Christmas gift)
“NAILED it! Thank you!”
— daughter of H. Ross Perot (birthday gift for dad)
“ADORE it!! Cannot wait to give it to the couple!”
— Liz M. (wedding gift)
“Typewriter Rodeo should be on every corner of the universe.”
— Author Ruth Pennebaker (at Texas Book Festival, Austin)
“Thank you for an AMAZING time. Our kids loved reading your wonderful poetry.”
— Lang Stuttering Institute’s “Camp Dream – Speak – Live” (UT-Austin)
“You guys are always a hit at every event!”
— BookPeople (Austin)
“Thank you again for making the Art Fair a more enjoyable event for so many!”
— Alki Art Fair (Seattle)
“This was really incredible. And the poem was perfect — they wound up using it as their birth announcement on Facebook later in the day. Thank you so much!”
— couple at West Seattle Farmers Market, who asked for poem to tell their friends they were pregnant (Seattle)
“That was pure fun — your typewriter and poeticism were the extra cool cherry on top of our St. Patrick’s Night show.”
— South Sound Tug & Barge (Seattle)
“Thank you for spending the day with us! I heard nothing but excitement from attendees about your presence!”
— Portland (OR) Book Festival
“This was a really meaningful testament to the healing power of art. You are heroes!”
— City of Austin, Cultural Arts Division
“You were a wonderful addition, and everyone absolutely loved the poems they got!”
— 100th Anniversary party (for a house), party host (Austin)
— CASA-Austin
“The looks on the students’ faces when they got their poems was priceless. Students loved their poems so much, they went and read them out loud at the poetry cafe. Thank you Typewriter Rodeo for giving our students this gift of writing!”
— St Mary’s Hall School (San Antonio, TX)
“The highlight of the night was Typewriter Rodeo, with three poets creating spontaneous custom-composed poems for party-goers.”
— Bookselling This Week, reporting on American Booksellers Association’s Winter Institute conference (Memphis, TN)
“Our attendees just loved their poems. Typewriter Rodeo was such a hit! “
— American Institute of Architects (Dallas, TX)
“The smiles on everyone’s faces as they walked away with their poems was heartwarming!”
— guest, Literary Death Match (Odessa, TX)
“Thank you so much for the creativity and joy you brought to the gala tonight. What a treat!!”
— SAFE Austin
““If I don’t get anything out of this conference, at least I got a poem.”
— Balcom Group, conference attendee
“We keep hearing how much everyone loved Typewriter Rodeo!”
– National Instruments (Austin)
“A skeptic came over and thanked me as she was ‘dragged to the table’ and her poem is already framed and in a place of honor in her home!”
– The Insights Group (Austin)