Gary Clayton of Concord listens to a poem shortly after the ribbon cutting for the West Concord Junction Cultural District Committee’s new Poetry Phone.

Photos: Poetry Phone springs into West Concord

May 27, 2024

Hello, is that our next great poet on the line?

Visitors to this month’s Spring Into West Concord Junction Day not only enjoyed browsing the shops, but picked up on a new neighborhood feature: The Poetry Phone, which plays audio of original works by adult and student scribes at the touch of a button.

Photos by Ken McGagh for The Concord Bridge


Concord artist Mike Sprague puts the finishing touches on the West Concord Poetry Phone booth he designed and built. An old-fashioned pay phone’s buttons play nine audio files of two-minute original poems written by local students and adults. The solar-powered community art installation stands off the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail on Beharrell Street.

A jogger runs on the Bruce Freeman Trail as Sprague, left, wraps a ribbon around the West Concord Poetry Phone booth. The phone’s nine original poems were selected from 74 submissions to the West Concord Junction Cultural District Committee.
Budding poet Emily Berry, 7, of Maynard, cuts the ribbon for the Poetry Phone. Berry’s “Tending My Garden” was one of nine poems selected for the project. The zero button on the phone’s keypad gives visitors information about the project.
Amy Mikkola of Maynard tries out the new West Concord Poetry Phone as her dog, Milo, stands by. Her niece, Emily Berry, 7, is one of nine poets who wrote and recorded pieces for the project.
Gary Clayton of Concord listens to a poem shortly after the Poetry Phone ribbon cutting.
Jack Dow, 1, enjoys the ride as his mother, Rebecca Dow, shops outside Joy Street Life + Home during Spring into West Concord Junction Day on May 18.
A poster of a firefly hangs in the window of the Concord Firefly shop as part of a scavenger hunt featuring posters of pollinators during Spring into West Concord Junction Day.
Melissa Allison of Concord and her children Sophie, 12, and Wesley, 9, look for posters of pollinating insects in the windows of local businesses.
Anaysha Benalfew paints 3-year-old Olivia Ferrara’s nails in front of Debra’s Natural Gourmet.
Ruth Smith, 3, of Maynard, contributes to the West Concord Junction Cultural District Committee’s Tree Painting Project at the Concord Free Public Library’s Fowler Branch during Spring into West Concord festivities.

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