"Poet in the Street" is an individual art project by Mehdi Dandi, an Iranian artist based in Toronto. This project aims to expand the culture of poetry in the streets and everyday life, making poetry accessible and engaging for everyone.

Inspired by the Persian tradition of "fortune-telling with poetry" (Fal-e-Hafez) and the artist’s personal habit of reading poetry daily, the project began with poems from iconic Persian poets like Khayyam, Hafez, and Rumi. Over time, the collection expanded to include international poets in English and French, featuring works by Baudelaire, T.S. Eliot, William Shakespeare, and Arthur Rimbaud.

The project functions through simple QR codes on stickers, allowing people to scan and read a poem. Each scan reveals a new poem, bringing the magic of poetry into everyday life.

It’s worth noting that all the poems featured on this website are in the public domain, and any translated poems have the translator's name credited beneath each poem.

A special thanks goes out to NullSight Inc for its help with technical aspects of this project. For inquiries or collaborations, feel free to reach out at poetinthestreet@gmail.com.

All copyrights of the idea are reserved by the artist