The Journey of Paper Poetry

Writing is a form of human expression, started way back in different parts of the world like Sumer, Mesopotamia, Egypt, China, and lowland areas of Southern Mexico and Guatemala. With various stages, the writing evolved to the current formats, changing into different forms and media now (Source mentioned).

Along with stone-carved writing, pictorial-writing, writing on papers had led humans to record their history, religious practices, social practices, hunting styles, fiction, mythological aspects, etc. from time to time.

We are emerging into integrated technology, gradually embedded in our systems to shape our future better and simplify life. We can write, record, reach, send, provide feedback, publish, and read writings on digital platforms and social media. But we slowly forget to continue writing in papers, as the oncoming future demands us to write in more accessible tools in our laptops, phones, tablets, or personal computers.

So, I thought, why not we practice writing on paper notes, as it is still one of the beautiful ways to write and express. Handwritten notes are always of fascination, and many poets love writing in papers and expressing their thoughts first. In some parts of the world, handwriting is again gaining traction because of the simplicity and authenticity.

The story

At the beginning of the pandemic period, I moved from my old place to a new home. While we were settling on the new house, I came across the old papers bought for the print but not being used earlier. Apart from some initial pages, all the remaining pages looked great.

What to do?

What to do with the papers?

While thinking about it, I was scribbling on the paper. Some words on the page, a few drawings, a sketch (sort of)! Suddenly, it kicked me - why shouldn't I write poems on paper, along with the digital screen canvas.

I was a new writer on Medium and published a few poems and articles here and there. So, it was a perfect opportunity to experiment. In Medium, there is an option to create your publication, keeping their guidelines intact. I spent hours reading through the content guidelines, learning how to design a logo (on Canva), and shooting an 'okay-sort of' video so that I could start the publication.

On August 17, 2020, I started Paper Poetry in Medium.

Invitation to the publication

I invited numerous writers on the inaugural note of the publication as an invitation. The invitation was with a poem to the poets, as I thought it would be an excellent idea to do that.

What do you think? The poem invitation link is provided below.

What contents do Paper Poetry covers

• Any poetry content (followed by relevant blog guideline and rules), along with a snapshot of the handwritten paper note - no word limit
• Poetry content with hand-drawn designs or themes with the poetry title that goes with the poetry - no word limit
• Short-form content (story, article, journal) which are 150 words or less
• You can add design, edit the snapshot of the paper note to add in your content, or add the poetry note snapshot (as your title photo or addition at the end).

Initiatives

Prompts

Poets love prompts. And, in Paper Poetry, we wanted to provide the platform of themed prompts that can inspire writers to share words with our readers.

We have conducted seven prompts, which have given occasion to share fantastic poems by some new writers on Medium. You can find the following tab, where we have mentioned the prompt themes and the writers - who have won the prompts, along with their poetry links.

Collaboration with other publications

As a small publication, we have tried to engage with other publications during this period. We completed collaboration projects with two Medium publications, 'Age of Empathy' and 'Literary Impulse.' The latest one is resulting in an anthology, coming next month.

'Sparked Ink' writer of the month

To showcase some best words of our writers, we have introduced 'Sparked Ink' writer of the month, highlighting one writer for the month. On the designated tab of the publication page, we highlight the latest poems of the writer. Readers and web page visitors can easily explore the beautiful poetry of our highlighted writer.

Poetry Series

I have recently started running the themed poetry series in the publication. On a particular theme, one selected writer is writing his/her deep thoughts, inspirations, viewpoints in a series of poetry, coming in each week. This series is generating interests for the readers and new writers, helping the publication grow further.

Few facts to share about the project

• 427 active followers, with 100+ active contributors of the publication
• 4000+ views on the last 30 days
• Avg. 65 visitors per day
• 2500+ minutes of reading in the last 30 days

Yes, I love working on this 'sudden spark project that started last year August. For the love of writing and crafts, this publication has allowed me to meet with some fantastic people worldwide. It helped me to reduce my anxiety level during these vulnerable times. It helped some new writers to share their voices, fresh artists to share their artwork and new learning for many of us.

No, I still don't have any financial success on the project. But, connecting with new people, reading exciting poems, and building a platform to support poets, are some satisfying feat. I'm already cherishing.

Happiness is around us. It is lurking inside our hearts, waiting for the right switch to be activated.

The left-over papers of my printer somehow activated mine.