UNDERGROUND POETRY FOR UNSETTLED TIMES

An ongoing site-responsive poetry series at WhiteBox Portable

WBX Portable is pleased to present Underground Poetry for Unsettled Times, a monthly poetry series conceived for the unique civic environment of WhiteBox Portable™ at the 42nd Street–8th Avenue transit hub in Manhattan. Situated at the threshold of the Port Authority Bus Terminal and the A, C, and E subway lines, this experimental platform brings contemporary poetry into direct dialogue with one of New York City's most dynamic public spaces.

Curated by acclaimed poets Bruce Andrews and Paolo Javier, the series emerges from WhiteBox's long-standing commitment to interdisciplinary practice, public engagement, and context-responsive cultural production. Positioned within the flow of daily urban life, the readings invite poetry to inhabit the rhythms, acoustics, interruptions, and fleeting encounters that define the contemporary city.

Poetry Reading

August 5,  6–7:30 pm

Featuring poets:

MTA 42nd Street–8th Above the A, C, E Subway Lines Downtown Direction

At a moment marked by political uncertainty, social fragmentation, and an urgent need for meaningful public exchange, Underground Poetry for Unsettled Times creates a space where language, performance, and collective presence can enter the circulation of everyday life. Rather than retreating from the conditions of the city, the series embraces them, transforming a heavily trafficked transit corridor into a temporary forum for reflection, imagination, and critical engagement.

Presented as a sequence of short readings and performance texts, the program is designed specifically for the temporal and acoustic conditions of the subway environment, allowing voices to emerge within and alongside the movement of commuters, travelers, workers, and visitors.

Underground Poetry for Unsettled Times is the first installment of a six-part monthly series that will continue throughout 2026. Participating poets will also be included in a forthcoming anthology documenting the project through poetry, images, and critical reflections, to be published online and in print at the conclusion of the series.

WhiteBox Portable is curated by Juan Puntes and Yohanna Magdalene Roa as an ongoing initiative exploring contemporary art and cultural production within public space, expanding the possibilities of exhibition-making and artistic encounter beyond conventional institutional frameworks.