RACINE, WI—Racine bus riders will soon notice the addition of poetry to the city’s public transit fleets. 

The Poetry Movement spearheaded the initiative to “build resilience and bring together the community of Racine while giving greater attention to art and creative writing.” 

According to a news release, all of the poems, which feature writers from Racine, Milwaukee, Indiana, and England, center on mental health. 

Ryde Racine will feature placards with mental-health themed poetry started Feb. 1. The verses are meant to inspire individuals to care for their mental health. / Screenshot from Ryde Racine

The entire Ryde Racine public transit fleet, which includes 39 buses and nine paratransit vans, will feature two poems starting on Feb. 1. A committee of writing faculty from area colleges combed through 80 poems submitted last fall, selecting 17 to appear on buses. 

Ryde Racine has approved the poems to be displayed on buses and will host a biannual poetry event at the transit center. Local graphic designer Amanda Gaastra handled the layout of bus signs. 

Additional funding for the project came from the Osborne and Scekic Family Foundation and the Racine Council’s ArtSeed grant, according to the news release. 

The Racine Literacy Council and NAMI Racine County each provided space for writing workshops prior to the contest deadline. Family Power Music donated sound engineering and equipment. 

Nicholas Michael Ravnikar, a writer who lives in Racine, founded the Poetry Movement with Chicago poet Ivan Ramos. The movement’s goal is to highlight the literary significance of poets and poetry circulating throughout the Chicago-Milwaukee corridor.

Ravnikar launched the Bus Poems project after he hosted an open mic and performance showcase at the transit center for his public project as Racine Writer-in-Residence for ArtRoot, a local nonprofit. ArtRoot has organized Arts Mixer networking events for the Racine creative community, alongside the Wall Poems and Writer-in-Residence projects, according to the news release. 

https://racinecountyeye.com/2025/01/27/racine-buses-mental-health-poetry/