A collection of poems by Newfoundland and Labrador writers will replace some of the ads posted inside city buses in St. John's.

At a reception at St. John's City Hall on Monday evening, city officials and members of the Writers' Alliance of Newfoundland and Labrador unveiled 16 works, which will be featured in the Metroverse program.

Mark Callanan reads his poem that will be featured on city buses in St. John's. (CBC)

Several well-known Newfoundland and Labrador poets, including Agnes Walsh, Tom Dawe and Mark Callanan, read their poems for the crowd.

"We're hoping it [the poetry] will give Metrobus riders, you know, a bit of time to reflect and think about not only the arts, but life in general," said Tom Hann, a St. John's city councillor and chair of the St. John's Transportation Committee, which operates Metrobus.

Poems featured on public transit worldwide

Poetry by local writers has been featured on Metrobus vehicles for several years. Many cities around the world also feature poetry on buses and trains.

Hann said city officials have no problem with Metrobus giving up part of its advertising space for local literary efforts.

"As somebody said in the council meeting tonight, 'It's not all dollars and cents you know,'" said Hann. "The heart of the city is in the arts community and what we do and what we support."