How does custom typewriter poetry work?
a step-by-step personalised poetry process
Conversation
What would you like a poem about? Sometimes people know their answer instantly, or sometimes this question feels like a Big one. Conversations are the foundation of the custom poetry process, and through years of intentional yaps with people I now know the best questions to ask.
Common themes include love, change, goals, and heartbreak. I help people explore what feels most meaningful to them in that moment through friendly conversation and authentic interest.
2.Connection
Counselling-informed listening means that people instantly feel comfortable to share, and their stories are heard empathetically. Studying psychotherapy helps me compassionately guide conversations to earnest and stirring places. This means that our level of connection is enhanced, as well as the quality of the poem.
In a matter of minutes, I’ll have observed a little about who you are, and what kind of piece will resonate with you most. In some instances, I like to reflect people’s words and phrasing back to them in a poem, to help them feel even more heard.
3.Catalyst
There is a moment that happens, indicating I’m ready to close our conversation and start writing.
When you’re driving a (manual) car, you need to find the “bite” point. You’ll raise your foot off the clutch until the whirring underneath communicates that it’s ready for some gas. I will ask questions and continue chatting with people until I find that “bite” point. The moment when someone says a certain phrase, has a specific sparkle in their eye, or exudes an energy that whirs excitedly in my mind, saying let’s give this some gas. This special moment is the catalyst for each piece, and I’m ready to drive.
4.Creation
Intuitively, I allow the “bite” point of our conversation to drive through the creative process, picking up other moments mentioned in our chat as I go. The energy and vibe I’ve understood about a person is significant here too, as I use this to inform any images that may appear in the poem.
I completely trust my gut in this stage, with no formulae or predetermined structures in mind, only the energy of the words chosen in the moment.
Then, after a few minutes of typing, a bespoke poem is born.
5.(Bonus) Collaboration
The above processes in a wedding setting see me asking each guest about the people getting married. I combine all the conversations like this and create one longer poem about the newlyweds, from the perspective of all the people that love them the most.
Why are they right for each-other? What are your favourite memories of them? What advice would you like to send them? Finding little snippets of the happy couple’s love in the guests’ conversations creates a bespoke one-of-a-kind perspective.
This final stage is especially magical, as it invites collaboration from everyone at the wedding; and all the guests need to do is have a chat with me.
