Growing in Community and Creativity through Collaborative Poetry

Authors like Courtney Peppernell, Zack Grey, and Amanda Lovelace have contributed to some wonderful collections of collaborative poetry in recent years. Are you wondering if this is something you might enjoy or want to try? Let’s dive into the reasons collaborative poetry could be a great opportunity for you to grow in both community and creativity.

It Highlights Individual Voices with a Shared Vision 

Collaborative poetry gives different writers the opportunity to create beautiful and cohesive works of art together. It isn’t about compromising your voice to better fit with other writers—it’s about paring your words in a complementary way that highlights the strength of each person’s contribution. Think of your favorite duets or anthologies. The collective work features incredibly talented individuals whose work harmoniously pairs to better express the core message. Each person has a part to play. Each person has a voice to express. And they all come together beautifully to create something really special. 

It Helps You Experience Poetry as a Team Effort 

Most of us write alone—or with the support of a publishing team—on our own individual poems. Writing collaborative poetry provides an opportunity to broaden your horizons. It makes you one page of a bigger narrative that you weave together with others. The way you split up the work depends on the flow you’re looking for and your individual styles and preferences. Do you have a team of people who want to collaborate? Collaborative poetry can be done in bigger groups as well! The key is good communication amongst all writers.

It’s Fun! 

Collaboration poetry will get you out of your comfort zone because you will be sharing your vision and editing process with other writers. It also gives you the chance to reach out to writers who you would love to team up with. This may be a friend or a writer you’ve always admired. You never know who is going to say yes, so don’t be afraid to respectfully put yourself out there. 

Your Turn

If you’re more comfortable trying your first collaborative poem with a friend, start there. Otherwise, try and find another poet who may be interested in joining you for a project. This makes for both a great bonding activity and a fun creative outlet. Next, pick a theme for your collaborative effort that helps you and your writing partner enter into the same wavelength. The theme doesn’t have to be super specific, but you want it to be something that will help the whole work come together as one, cohesive piece of poetry. As you write, don’t be afraid to include each other in the process. You can bounce ideas off of your writing partner and discuss editing strategies so that your piece comes together smoothly, complementing each poet’s strengths and stanzas. How you decide to arrange or alternate your work is entirely up to you. 

Share your Collaborative work with the world 

If you decide to try out collaborative poetry, I want to congratulate you upfront. You are broadening your writing horizons and trying something new. When you are finished with your collaboration, consider sharing your work with the poetry world. You worked hard and created something beautiful—as part of a team, no less. Please feel free to tag us in your collaborative efforts or leave your collaboration poems in the comments section. We love to be included in your writing journeys!