Poetry depot

The SpiritStore Poetry Depot art project developed an experimental co-writing methodology between poets and citizens. The Poetry Depot art project explored voicing and exchange through poetry as a form of solidarity. In the ‘Depot’ citizens offered their spoken words and poets offered attention. The poets collected and reflected on citizens personal spoken descriptions and stories. In exchange each citizen received a poem, a written poetic reflection of words spoken.

The experimental method drew on in the lineage of written and spoken art forms such as Augusto Boal’s Theatre of the Oppressed, from Latin America, the speeches and communiques of the Mexican social Zapatismo movement, which invokes the power of the word to connect peoples experiences, and the South African praise poet, the Griot, whose sharp eye and voice is trained on their national leaders.

This project was a collaboration between SpiritStore and the Inkstorm poets, within the collaboration we experimented and devised a collaborative poetry writing public event which was experienced in numerous locations over one year.