‘When they cry, I’m crying with them’: Local poet shares experience going viral

CTV London’s Lauren Stallone talks to Vironika Wilde, a local poet sharing her love for writing with Londoners and going viral for her reaction videos.

A London Ont. based poet is sharing her love of writing in the city’s downtown core.

“There’s a long-standing tradition of typewriter poets,” said Vironika Wilde. “They come out to the streets and write custom poems for people.”

Wilde said she believes she is the first typewriter poet in London.

“If you go on TikTok or Instagram, you can find a lot of typewriter poets,” said Wilde. “It’s usually in major big cities.”

Visitors to Wilde’s booth, typically located on Dundas Street, share something meaningful about their life and within minutes a new poem is created.

“There is such an aliveness to typewriter poetry,” said Wilde. “You have to be here, you can’t think about the bills, you can’t think about the kids, you can’t think about anything else, you just have to be here.”

Wilde said the art of poetry has been an outlet for her.

“It’s been a big mental health tool for me,” said Wilde. “I hear these stories and when they cry, I’m crying with them.”