Overview

When the city most needed kindness, the Dear Stranger letters began to appear on its walls.A restless, letter-writing backpacker named Jay crashes into the lives of two strangers: Johnny-a burnt-out, reclusive poet entangled in the mess of his own spiralling thoughts-and Rick-a scholar absorbed by the margins of footnotes and the silence of books. Jay drags them out of their narrow suburban worlds, disrupting their routines, taking them under his wing, to introduce them to the confronting chaos on the streets of Melbourne.Three unlikely dreamers embark on a transformative mission to record every voice and vision. The city cracks open. The gutters flood with tales. The Bathing Man. The Cardboard Preacher. The Rainbow Lady; each narrative peels back another layer of the metropolis. The trio abandon their assumptions-everything they think they know about the world, about people, about themselves-to learn how to notice, observe, and listen.Inspired by real encounters, There's a Tale to This City is an offbeat time capsule with storytelling and mateship at its heart. It's a tribute to how thoughtful attention reveals the quiet truths in daily life.

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9780645702712

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Reviews

'A charming story of three young writers finding their way, revealing a zest for life hidden beneath the dirty sidewalks of their city ... a beautiful declaration of youth and its vigour for adventure and understanding.' -M Sheridan Desmond The Garden Eternal & Blooming in Graves 'A thoroughly authentic, inspired book about loneliness, connection and art in Melbourne city ... a story like this one comes along and a kind of frenetic energy overtakes you. There is a grand adventure waiting out there for you ... all you have to do is open your eyes-and listen.' -Amelia Joy All Summer Long 'Definitely recommend to lovers of Melbourne, or those who want to see their city through the eyes of someone else.' -Donita Richards writer & co-founder of Bad Writers Club 'You need this book ... it's raw and punk and breaks pretty much all of the rules. This is like a mixtape of a trio of talented artists that are on the cusp of something big.' -Beau Windon Jax Paperweight and the Neon Starway

Author Information

Jaidyn Luke Attard 'The Street Poet' writes poetry and fiction inspired by his life as a street wanderer and self-proclaimed flâneur in Melbourne/Naarm. He sometimes pastes up his typewritten poetry across the city, suburbs, and even interstate, which gained attention in Melbourne during the COVID-19 lockdowns.In 2021, he co-wrote 'There's a Tale to This City', dropping out of his Master's degree in publishing to dedicate more time to writing about his street encounters. His verse novel 'The Street Poet' was released in 2023. He went on to establish the underground collaborative writer's collective, the Degraves Circle, as well as his own self-funded publishing press, Back Shed Press, operating out of his home in West Footscray. His current focus is on publishing zines and poetry by local artists.IG @ jaidynpoetryYOUTUBE @ poetofthestreetshttps: //backshedpress.bigcartel.com/ Jay Ventress is an author/street artist who has running around the world for years, posting Dear Stranger letters on trash cans, bus shelters, electric boxes, hoping to strike a fire in a stranger's eye. The Dear Stranger project began in Melbourne, Australia and has since reached half of Europe, New York, Egypt, Morocco, and the majority of the UK.

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