Leamington Spa poet says typing for strangers turns them into friends

Perched on a park bench, an old typewriter balanced on his knees, Fraser Logan smiles at passers-by who slow to read his sign: May I write for you?

The 32-year-old former academic composes stream-of-consciousness poems in three minutes for strangers, inspired often by just a single-word prompt which can verge on the deeply personal.

Kayleigh Foster, who has framed the joyful piece he wrote imagining her future wedding, described him as “a reincarnation of Shakespeare”.

“It was just really lovely to have that human connection and that interaction,” she said.

Logan, who writes from a bench in Leamington Spa’s Jephson Gardens, in Warwickshire, said being vulnerable with complete strangers was “one of the best ways, I think, to make friends”.

He grew up in Bridge of Weir in Renfrewshire, and began Typing for Strangers in January after finishing his philosophy PhD at the University of Warwick.

Having researched honesty, he wanted to witness unfiltered responses to his work and films his interactions with those who stop.

“I can see if they’re moved, if they’re affected,” he said.

“And the other thing, I suppose, was wanting to be more honest with other people, so saying what I think, being quite naked and vulnerable around people in public rather than just writing for myself.”