Dial-A-Poem: The Vintage Phone-Based Poetry Project Expands Globally

Among interactive art forms, Dial-A-Poem stands out as a distinctly analog creation, harking back to the era of Alexander Graham Bell rather than modern AI technologies.

Conceived by artist and poet John Giorno (1936-2019), the initiative launched in early 1969 using six makeshift telephones and answering machines at the Architectural League of New York. Each phone was linked to the same number and played prerecorded tapes when callers dialed in.

Callers who dialed the 212 number would hear a poem selected at random, though occasionally the recordings featured music, songs, or speeches. These were often introduced by Giorno and performed by prominent literary and cultural figures such as John Ashbery, William S. Burroughs, and Anne Waldman.

To maintain variety, Giorno replaced the tapes daily and expanded the roster of voices to include artists like Laurie Anderson, Patti Smith, Amiri Baraka, and Miguel Piñero, making each call a surprise.

Today, Dial-A-Poem is going global with partnerships involving seven museums and local phone numbers in countries including France, Mexico, Thailand, Italy, Hong Kong, Switzerland, and Brazil, with plans for further expansion. Additionally, the project is receiving a digital facelift with the launch of a new website this week.