Group writes haikus on vintage typewriters, wants to come to Detroit

You propose the theme. They sit down, crack their knuckles in front of a vintage typewriter, and churn out your custom-made haiku. It's that simple.

That's the idea behind the Haiku Guys and Gals. They're "performance poets," and they've been making the rounds for two years now, pleasing the public by presenting poetry, all while dressed in ball gowns and three-piece suits. 

They got in touch this weekend, asking, "This may seem strange, but we're a company of NYC typewriter haikuists and we really really want to come to Detroit. We thought, maybe if you wrote something about us, saying how all we want to do is visit this vibrant city, someone could read it and be inclined to book us for a gig."

Strange? No, it doesn't seem strange at all. We'd probably urge them to dress down a bit, but we could see them fitting right in at a few desks in Campus Martius or at the opening of a swanky new restaurant downtown. We tried this once at a dinner party five years ago atop the Park-Shelton, and writer Michael Zadoorian joined in for a while. In fact, the very appearance of a typewriter seems to stop people in their tracks these days. It's a neat gimmick.

Interested? Want the Haiku Guys and Gals to come to the opening of your artisanal beard balm emporium? Get in touch.