About: Girls on the Run (poem)

Girls on the Run is a long poem by the American writer John Ashbery, published in its own volume in 1999. The narrative centers on a group of girls known as the Vivians, who try to create an ideal world for themselves. The poem was inspired by the works of Henry Darger, a Chicago-based outsider artist who, among other things, collected street waste, compiled various catalogues, and wrote a massive fantasy novel.