Crafting a multiplatform poetry experience
Poetry is central to The On Being Project's programming and ethos in general. Elevating our poetry offering was a core focus of the Community & Design team, which I led from 2018-2020. This work took shape across platforms, through podcasts, original video series, social media callouts, and new web experiences.
Poetry Unbound
I guided the language development for Poetry Unbound and created the podcast launch strategy.
The show had more than 3 million listens in its first two seasons, was recognized by NPR and The New York Times, and was named an “Outstanding Podcast of 2020” by The Bello Collective.
Poetry Unbound & Friends
As the COVID-19 pandemic descended in 2020, we realized that poetry was more of a lifeline than ever.
On Instagram, we hosted Poetry Unbound & Friends — a video poetry series with poets, former guests, and friends of the show, all reading and reflecting on poems that were resonating with them. I oversaw the series and created the editorial calendar and launch plan.
The videos were our most engaging Instagram offering to date and have been viewed more than 560k times.
An ‘unfolding poem’
We published this project by peacebuilder John Paul Lederach, chronicling the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic in haiku.
“Haiku are nature bound, yet the 5-7-5 [syllable structure] always weaves a delicate human filament,” he writes.
Visualizing poetry
On Being had amassed a vast audio archive of poets reading their work and we wanted to find a way to make this special collection more accessible and engaging.
We created a new home for poetry at onbeing.org and a Poetry Films series on YouTube. We launched the week before the 2020 election and framed it as a “counter-offering” to the news and general anxiety of the moment.
I led the team in executing the project, worked with our poet-in-residence to select the poems and poets to feature at launch, and oversaw the design and development process.
Co-creating with the audience
During National Poetry Month in 2019, we invited listeners to adopt a "haiku attitude" and share the poetry of their everyday lives. We hosted this callout for found haikus on Instagram.
(cover photo by Trevor Brady; art direction & design for all projects by Erin Colasacco & Lilian Vo)