Give him a word — any word — and he’ll write you a legit poem, on the spot, on a typewriter. You may have seen him at concerts, weddings, birthday parties, conferences, or other events around town. His name? The Poetry Fox, a.k.a. Chris Vitiello, a Durham native for more than 25 years.

We had the chance to sit down with Chris earlier this week and find out more about how this project came about + it all started about seven years ago when a friend gifted him a fox costume as a joke. On a whim, he later wore the costume to an event he co-hosted, took one of his many typewriters along with him, and set up shop writing poems for guests.

“It turns out people really like poetry,” Chris says. “It’s a kind of public language that gives you something, rather than trying to sell you something or take something away.”

By day, he’s also a content strategist for the libraries at NC State, but Chris says that poetry has always been a core interest for him (he has a MFA in creative writing). As a kid, he says there were “always typewriters in the house” and that helped him with childhood dyslexia, when handwriting was a challenge.

Last year, Chris booked 150 events as the Poetry Fox — everything from school functions to burlesque brunches — and he’s hoping to do even more in 2020.

“Writing can be solitary,” he says. “I enjoy writing things that are actually for people. I like to pay attention and take things in at the moment.”

If you're interested in booking the Poetry Fox for an event, click here to visit his website or follow him on Instagram.

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