An artist with life as her medium.
Creating art, creating herself.
At a Glance
Zoe Powers is a poet and live typewriter artist based in the greater Orlando area of Florida. Zoe creates poetry that comments on the world, herself within it, and the world within herself. Since transitioning from private journaling to serious poetry in 2025, she has become known for her emotional presence and introspective verse that aims to “tickle souls” and move audiences to tears.
When she’s not crafting poems during her meditative 40-minute drives in silence, Zoe brings her vintage blue typewriter to curated events, creating personalized poems that spark the raw, honest conversations she craves. Inspired by philosophy, classic literature, and the naturalist writings of Thoreau and Emerson, Zoe uses her creativity as both a bridge to human connection and a weapon against life’s darker moments.
Interested in live poetry at your event?
Full Story: The Artist's Journey
The Seeds of Poetry
My earliest memories are painted with the rhythm of my mother's voice reading Winnie the Pooh poems aloud, and the playful cadences of Dr. Seuss that filled our home. But the moment that would unknowingly shape my future came in elementary school, when I stood before my classmates at a poetry night and read Kenn Nesbitt's "My Mouse Is Rather Fond of Cheese." I didn't write those words, but I felt their power flow through me, felt the connection between speaker and audience that would one day become my lifeline. For years, poetry remained dormant within me while I filled journal after journal—four complete volumes since 2017, with a fifth halfway done. In those private pages, little poems would emerge like wildflowers between the prose of my daily thoughts, unplanned and unforced.
The Hunger for Connection
After college, when my close-knit friend group scattered like dandelion seeds, I found myself turning inward, perhaps too much. I was dying for human connection, but not the surface-level kind. Small talk and pop culture felt hollow; I craved conversations about who people really are, why they became that way, and who they dream of becoming. At parties and social gatherings, my interview-style nature was hit or miss—some people welcomed my depth, others found my inquisition strange.
Then, in 2025, everything shifted. I began writing poetry seriously, not as a career move but as a soul imperative.
The Blue Typewriter and a Whim
I discovered live typewriting through the digital world, watching others create magic with vintage machines. I never planned to join them until I saw a adorable blue typewriter and bought it on impulse. Sometimes the universe conspires in the most beautiful ways—shortly after, I found someone looking for creatives to add value to their event. I went for it on a whim, but it was a whim that came at exactly the right moment. I was feeling low, searching for new purpose and direction. That blue typewriter became my bridge to the world.
The Art of Street Poetry
Street poetry gave me what I’d been searching for: a way to have those raw, honest conversations I craved. When people approach me under the guise of receiving a poem, they’re somehow more receptive to real questions, to diving beneath the surface. The typewriter creates a sacred space where strangers become willing to share their depths.
My creative process is beautifully unstructured. Life flows, and in quiet moments—on walks, in the car, with morning coffee while listening to birds—my mind drifts into thought. Sometimes complete poems arrive all at once, demanding to be captured before they vanish. But most often, it’s during my 40-minute drives to and from work, sitting in total silence, that the music in my mind becomes loudest.
Philosophy of Creation
I try to make people cry. To me, tears are how I know someone's soul has been tickled, that my words have truly touched them. I'm inspired by philosophy, classic literature, and the naturalist writings of Thoreau, Emerson, and Muir. I paint with my hands for tactile gratification, but even then, I find myself thinking in poetic verse. People are often surprised to learn that I sit in total silence whenever possible—in the car, at home, anywhere I can find it. Silence helps me hear the music in my mind, the rhythms that become poems.
The Balance of Solitude and Sharing
I write far more than I perform, but the public sharing reminds me that my solitary writing isn’t done in vain. Each time I’ve shared publicly, people have connected with the feelings I’ve put into words. This validation fuels my return to the quiet spaces where poems are born.
I’ve learned to reframe my creative process, allowing creativity to flow through me rather than fighting for control over outcomes. I use creativity to battle depression and sadness, to give my life meaning. It’s my way of shouting into the void: “There is only one you. Others may be doing what you want to do, but they are not YOU doing it.”
Vision for Tomorrow
My identity isn't built around a career—it's built around what I can create in this world. My career simply funds that cause. In my dreams, I see a published collection of poems and invitations to private events where my typewriter and words make gatherings unique and memorable. But for now, I'm content in the beautiful tension between silence and song, between solitude and connection, between the private act of creation and the public gift of sharing. In that space, with my blue typewriter as companion, I continue to create myself one poem at a time.
Zoe Powers is available for private events, festivals, and coffee shop residencies. Contact her to bring the magic of live typewriter poetry to your gathering.