Last summer, legendary Seattle band Pearl Jam performed shows in their home city to raise awareness of the homelessness crisis. The homecoming was five years in the making, and it was the issue of homelessness that prompted it. At the time, the band’s guitarist Stone Gossard spoke to Darrell Wren, a vendor for Seattle street paper Real Change. INSP is revisiting the interview today after Gossard and Wren captured the attention of the Seattle public during #VendorWeek 2019 by participating in Real Change’s annual selling event.

In collaboration with The Big Issue, vendors from street papers across the world have been sharing some insider tips on the cities they live and work in, which we are sharing during #VendorWeek. Here, Big Issue Korea vendor Yeong-su Moon talks about Seoul.

In collaboration with The Big Issue, vendors from street papers across the world have been sharing some insider tips on the cities they live and work in, which we are sharing during #VendorWeek. Here, Big Issue Japan vendor Susumu Hamada talks about Osaka.

Slovenian street paper Kralji Ulice, based in Ljubljana, placed the focus directly on its vendors by taking their photograph and pairing the result with their answers to varied questions, from their goals for the year ahead, to their sales technique.

Macedonian street paper Lice v Lice got in on the #VendorWeek 2019 celebrations with a number of coinciding activities culminating in members of the Macedonian Assembly selling magazines on the streets with vendors.

In collaboration with The Big Issue, vendors from street papers across the world have been sharing some insider tips on the cities they live and work in, which we are sharing during #VendorWeek. Here, L’Itinéraire vendor Tuan talks about Montréal.

In collaboration with The Big Issue, vendors from street papers across the world have been sharing some insider tips on the cities they live and work in, which we are sharing during #VendorWeek. Here, Scarp de’ tenis vendor Aldo talks about Milan.

One of The Big Issue Australia’s annual #VendorWeek traditions is their CEO Selling event. This year, over 100 Australian business leaders from an array of companies and organisations took to the streets with vendors to learn about their work.

Yannick, a L’Itinéraire vendor whose pitch is at Jacques-Ferron Library in Longueuil, Canada, is undergoing gender reassignment. Over the next few weeks, they will see their body start to change as they commence the physical transition towards becoming Yannick. As the process begins, they will no doubt face numerous questions from customers and loved ones alike – something that is only natural when many people don’t know much about gender reassignment. So, what is there to know about the process? We asked Yannick to tell us more.

An unexpected message on social media brought Jamar Washington back into contact with his birth mother and family in 2018. His mother, Raelene Johnson – a Denver Voice vendor – reluctantly gave him up for foster care when he was three. This is the story of how fate brought them back together and how they are reconnecting with each other after so many years apart.

Wanda Boudrie, a vendor for Toledo, Ohio based street paper Toledo Streets, was recently named its Vendor of the Year, and to celebrate #VendorWeek, INSP is sharing her story. The publication’s director John Keegan reflects on what it is about Wanda’s personality that lights up the lives of Toledo Streets’ staff, vendors and readers.

In collaboration with The Big Issue, vendors from street papers across the world have been sharing some insider tips on the cities they live and work in, which we are sharing during #VendorWeek. Here, Hus Forbi vendor Csaba talks about Copenhagen.

In collaboration with The Big Issue, vendors from street papers across the world have been sharing some insider tips on the cities they live and work in, which we are sharing during #VendorWeek. Here, StreetWise vendor A. Allen talks about Chicago.

Cindy sells The Big Issue on the streets of Adelaide. Lynn sells L’Itinéraire on the streets of Montréal, Canada. The blazing heat has officially hit Cindy’s city, while Lynn shivers through snow and ice. Sitting in vendor offices on either side of the world, they stare into computer screens and greet each other ahead of #VendorWeek 2019.

In collaboration with The Big Issue, vendors from street papers across the world have been sharing some insider tips on the cities they live and work in, which we are sharing during #VendorWeek. Here, Big Issue vendor Lee talks about Cambridge.

In collaboration with The Big Issue, vendors from street papers across the world have been sharing some insider tips on the cities they live and work in, which we are sharing during #VendorWeek. Here, Shedia vendor Michael talks about Athens.

As always, the first week of February sees the street paper network mark #VendorWeek, an annual celebration of those people central to the street paper mission – vendors! Find out about a selection of what’s going on.

INSP is proud to present this year’s #VendorWeek video, as the week-long celebrations of street paper vendors around the world gets underway today.

Glenn Walker has been all over the place, both in his life and as a Real Change vendor. He’s lived in Denver, New York and Chicago, but he’s lived in Seattle for years. As a Real Change vendor, he gets around, too: Issaquah, Bellevue and Bainbridge Island are all on his regular route. Hanna Brooks Olsen spent a day shadowing Glenn to find out about what it’s like to be a Real Change vendor.

Big Issue vendors from across Australia offer words of advice, reflection, consolation and love to their teenaged selves in these special letters written for #VendorWeek 2018.

If they weren’t regular customers already, the people who generously gave up their time during #VendorWeek to try selling Big Issue North for an hour vowed not to walk on by again.

In honour of #VendorWeek 2018, Megaphone vendor James Witwicki and L’Itinéraire vendor Yvon Massicotte had a ‘face-to-face’ interview to swap experiences of how both wound up selling street papers.

Canadian street paper L’Itinéraire welcomed their readers, community organisations, sponsors and partners into their Montréal offices for their first-ever “Journée Portes Ouvertes” (Open Doors Day).

Ahead of this year’s #VendorWeek celebration, Canadian street paper Megaphone announced their Vendor of the Year – Craig Baron (who was also recently featured in our Vendor Moments series). Here, he tells us about his life and what it’s like being a Megaphone vendor. Celebrating our vendors is what #VendorWeek is all about.

To celebrate #VendorWeek 2018, The Big Issue Australia took an in depth look at the ways street papers around the world are creating extra employment opportunities for the people who need them most. And what better way to learn about them than from the people who are employed by and benefit from them. Social enterprises featured in the article come from these INSP members: The Big Issue Australia, =Oslo, The Curbside Chronicle, Shedia and L’Itinéraire.

To mark #VendorWeek 2018, US street paper Denver VOICE published a four-page spread completely dedicated to their vendors, as well as hosting a Big Sell event in the city. In the feature, vendors talk about their pitch, their daily routine, and we even here from readers showing their appreciation for their local vendor.

Today, North American street papers will join in with the #VendorWeek celebrations by hosting selling events, some for the first time. This #VendorWeek tradition is a chance for those unfamiliar with the street paper movement to understand better what street paper vendors do.

Amongst all the #VendorWeek events and activities going on, Hus Forbi’s take on the global celebration presents something a little bit different. Each night this week, one lucky reader will receive a visit from Hus Forbi editor Poul Struve Nielsen and one of the magazine’s vendors to cook up a delicious meal using recipes from the Danish street paper’s 2018 calendar.