Here’s a photo of me with the first story, In Motion, as it appears in the paper.
These are newspapers that are designed as social services to help homeless people earn some money, while maybe even getting their writing published. You’ll sometimes see them referred to as “homeless papers.” Homeless people sell them, and pocket a little change for every issue they sell.
Content in the papers is usually focused on items of interest to homeless people or those of us who care about the homeless. Some of the writing is written by the people who sell the paper, or other homeless folks in the community. The paper usually has a few paid or volunteer staff who write additional content and take care of design, printing and other back-end work.
There are homeless papers all over the country. In fact, all over the world.
Why did I let News from the Road reprint my book for free?
I’m a big fan of street papers. Whenever I travel, if I run into someone selling them, I make sure to buy a copy (or two). A street paper is a mashup of two things I care about - an anti-poverty jobs program combined with a literary effort to help people tell their own stories, in their own words.
I was thrilled when the Victoria Street Newz in British Columbia ran a review of The Streetwise Cycle.
When News from the Road contacted me and asked if I’d they could reprint all the stories over the course of nine issues, of course I said yes. I hope my work can help sell a few more street papers and put a little more money in the pockets of men and women in Florida who are struggling to make it. Sure, I’ll get a bit free publicity out of it, but that’s just a bonus.
So the next time you’re out on the streets and someone tries to sell you a street paper, give it a try. You never know what you might find inside.