Liam Callanan is in the poetry business.

The English professor and novelist founded Eat Local::Read Local, a literary initiative that supports the humanities and local businesses by distributing original, printed poems to restaurants. Servers dish out the poems to diners throughout April, which is National Poetry Month.

The social entrepreneurship effort highlights local poets and local restaurants during public readings every April in Milwaukee and Madison.

“For almost 10 years now,” Callanan said, “this program has fed a community hungry for great writing and given very talented students the hands-on experience — in publishing, design, marketing and more — that employers want.”