About

Poems in the Waiting Room (NZ) is a Dunedin based arts in health charity.

Our aim is to provide a free source of well-chosen poetry for; patients waiting for medical appointments, rest home residents waiting for meals, outings or appointments, hospice patients and their families and prison inmates.

The poetry cards, A4 sized three-fold cards, feature between eight and ten poems. New editions of the cards are printed and distributed every season. Poems include those from contemporary poets (especially New Zealand writers), older poems, a haiku, and poems for children. They are selected for readers’ enjoyment and are in no way a vehicle for delivering any social/health messages. The cards may be read and left on site or taken away for sharing or further reading.

The original print run of 500 cards in 2008 was limited to Dunedin medical practices. Now 5500 cards are printed every season and distributed throughout New Zealand’s South Island with a Samoan maternity hospital and Scott Base included in the mix.

We currently send new cards, every quarter, to 175 rest homes, 283 medical practices, 8 prisons, contributing poets, interested individuals, and practices (outside our current area) who request cards.

Poems in the Waiting Room (PitWR) has been operating successfully in the UK for fourteen years with their latest pamphlet distributed to over 1400 waiting rooms. Michael Lee, the founding editor, offered me a free license to use the British title. His website is: www.poemsinthewaitingroom.org

PitWR(NZ) relies solely on donations and successful applications to trusts/companies to fund its two costs – postage and printing. Our long-term aim is to secure sponsorship so this service may be offered New Zealand-wide.

For all enquiries please contact:

Ruth Arnison

Poems in the Waiting Room

19 Hunt St

Andersons Bay

Dunedin 9013

 

waitingroompoems(at)gmail(dot)com. Please replace the (at) with @ and (dot) with .