Exploring the Literary Metaverse: A Wave of Poets Step into Web3, Forging a New Chapter in Writing
It's not just visual artists who are finding their place in the Web3 universe. Writers of NFTs are also diving into innovative projects that are shaking things up in the literary world. Metaverse In the realm of poetry, there are no boundaries—words can morph into interactive experiences, merging art and technology as fundamental elements of poetic expression.
To understand literature's impact within Web3, Metaverse Post spoke with the minds behind theVERSEverse a unique literary gallery where poems themselves are treated as art pieces, along with Crypto Poetry a community-oriented platform empowering poets to share their creations freely.
TheVERSEverse – a curated NFT gallery for written works
TheVERSEverse is a specially curated space for poetry, co-founded by writers Ana Caballero, Kalen Iwamoto, and Sasha Stiles. To bring this visual written-word gallery to life, they partnered with art consultant Gisel Florez.
The platform connects crypto enthusiasts, digital artists, and conceptual writers within the blockchain sphere, alongside traditional poets who may still be new to the crypto scene. Some of the participating poets at the VERSEverse also explore visual art, blending their skills across both mediums.
“Our mission is to help traditional poets transition into this digital era by pairing them with artists invested in cryptocurrency to create incredibly unique and immersive artworks. Many of these pieces incorporate spoken word elements, while others are video interpretations. Currently, we're focusing on reaching out to established poets who have a traditional background to introduce them to the crypto space and Metaverse,” shared award-winning poet Caballero.
TheVERSEverse has showcased works by several noteworthy poets, including Denise Duhamel, Julie Marie Wade, Nicole Tallman, David Hernandez, and Kevin Abosch.
Crypto Poetry – a collaborative poetry initiative
Crypto Poetry was launched by Kai, a tech-forward poet who began exploring literary possibilities via NFTs. He kicked off this initiative by sharing his own poetry as NFTs and encouraging other writers to join the NFT poetry collective. Now, this project is entirely community-run, with poets curating diverse poem collections across various blockchains like Ethereum, Solana, Tezos, Polygon, Flow, and KardiaChain. Each poet can contribute one poem per collection, and those works are listed on the respective blockchain marketplaces.
It’s an open and imaginative space where poets of all styles come together—there are no strict deadlines for projects; participants share ideas and contribute as they feel inspired. Members actively share their poetry and engage in community readings. At present, the collective boasts around 100 poets, 20 to 30 of whom are highly involved contributors. Governance and management decisions are made democratically among the members.
Crypto Poetry also collaborates with digital artists to generate visuals that enhance the poems. According to Kai, these visuals are crucial for NFTs and often form an integral part of the work.
Poets don’t have to be visual artists to produce NFTs
Before the launch of theVERSEverse, conceptual NFT artist Iwamoto established the Crypto Writers group on Discord to motivate traditional writers to step into the Web3 environment. She observed that many writers believed that visual creation was essential for NFT success. While that may have been true in the past, poets frequently collaborate with visual artists to produce a harmonious blend of text and imagery.
“I feel that poets continuously seek out artists for collaboration. The common belief is that poets should team up with artists for any chance of success; however, I don’t entirely endorse that notion as my works often consist of stark contrasts—black text on a white backdrop,” Iwamoto explained. “In the Crypto Writers group, we partnered with Redlion Studios on a project where crypto artists created corresponding visuals for the poems. I sense that poets are eager to incorporate a visual dimension within their NFTs, either through their own creations or by teaming up with artists.” Crypto Poetry Anthology, Blockchain opens new avenues for literary expression
For the creators of theVERSEverse, the most thrilling aspect of engaging with the realm of blockchain poetics is the opportunity to push the boundaries of linguistic expression. As NFTs, poetry and digital artistry can seamlessly intertwine.
“I have been deeply involved in digital poetry for quite a while, exploring poetry through technological lenses. Creating video poems and digital animations has been a part of my artistic journey long before I entered the crypto space,” poet Stiles disclosed. “I found it challenging to find venues for my experimental and multimedia works, as traditional literary journals rarely accommodated such submissions.”
In 2020, Stiles crafted a poem for a Metaverse exhibition, marking her entrance into the virtual poetry landscape, which at the time was primarily dominated by visual artists with fewer authors present.
“I am genuinely passionate about leveraging technology to expand the traditional concept of poetry. It doesn’t have to be confined to printed text on pages or performed at open mic nights; it can transform into interactive experiences, playable games, AR filters, and so much more,” she added.
Poetry possesses an ancient oral tradition alongside its extensive written history. Literary expression in the Metaverse diverges from conventional oral or written forms—here, words possess a life of their own, pulsating and moving with a dynamism that traditional texts cannot.
“Our digital poetry deserves a respected place within the art world, and it has the potential to alter perceptions of poetry, despite its long-standing cultural significance. What’s captivating is that a digital poem can be valued and appreciated just like a digital piece of art. We are approaching a fresh valuation paradigm where poetry is perceived as an art form, which stands at the heart of theVERSEverse's mission,” Caballero remarked. “My aspiration is for poems to feature in more exhibitions and museums—not exclusively in niche displays focused on ‘blockchain poetry’ or ‘digital poetry,’ but prominently alongside various art forms in their own right.”
Blockchain empowers poets to monetize their creativity
The core objective of theVERSEverse is to enable poets to profit from their creative endeavors in a revolutionary way. Stiles highlights how the opportunity for poets to sell their work for a significant amount and potentially earn royalties throughout the lifespan of the NFT is a groundbreaking development.
“Poetry hasn’t typically been a money-making endeavor. Speaking from my own experience, I’ve dedicated years to my writing and published numerous pieces in various journals, yet I’ve never earned more than a few hundred dollars. Poetry is a passion for me, but it rarely allows for a sustainable livelihood. Blockchain allows poets to sell their pieces directly to collectors in a manner akin to how artists sell their works directly to art buyers, which brings us closer to making a living as poets,” she articulated.
A member of Crypto Poetry, also noted how he ventured into self-publishing his works as books and NFTs during the pandemic, soon realizing that selling individual poems as NFTs could yield greater returns than traditional book sales.
George Byron Pestana “ monetizing NFTs can be tricky, but I find it slightly easier compared to selling full books. The crux of both lies in effective networking. Tools like Twitter and Discord work much more efficiently for NFTs than for book sales, as the relatively small community of pioneering artists fosters stronger connections and more significant media exposure, thanks to the novel nature of poetry NFTs,” he shared.
The Metaverse seems poised to be the next adventure for creators of NFT poems. Several poets from Crypto Poetry are currently focused on developing a 3D poetry gallery, which will soon be available on their official website. In April, coinciding with National Poetry Month in the US, theVERSEverse hosted a poetry exhibit at Digital Francisco Carolinum, a Metaverse museum.
Poetry in the Metaverse
“We organized a poetry happy hour, inviting poets from the gallery and poetry enthusiasts from the community to join us in the Metaverse. Together, we navigated the exhibition as our virtual avatars, enjoying readings and sharing experiences. The sensation of connecting with individuals from around the globe in that space felt incredibly surreal and exhilarating—a true celebration of poetry,” Stiles reminisced.
In April, Stiles not only released a physical poetry book but also launched it within the Metaverse during theVERSEverse exhibition. She is enthusiastic about hosting more hybrid events that bridge physical and virtual worlds. Such events would engage readers and writers who are unfamiliar with blockchain, introducing a new audience to diverse styles of writing and poets they might not have discovered otherwise.
Exploring the Literary Metaverse: Poets Embracing Web3 and Shaping a New Era for Authors - Metaverse Post
It's not just visual artists who are finding their place in the Web3 landscape; writers of NFTs are also diving into innovative projects that push creative boundaries.
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Writers are joining visual artists in the Web3 arena, as creators of written content start engaging in exciting, experimental endeavors. In this dynamic space,
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