A weekly newsletter where the creative and curious document the poetry of work—past, present, and future—before the robots take over.
Hello! Today, I’m excited (and more than a little nervous) to announce the launch workLIT, a new creative project profiling poetic reflections on modern work-life, before the robots take over. Read on to learn more about the impetus and vision for this project.
Launch day
workLIT aims to shed a literary light on the emotions of the modern workplace. It is estimated that most of us will spend 90,000 hours of our waking lives working, which can make it hard to separate the living and the working. Enter poetry. Yes, I said poetry.
“A poem itself is an encounter with an ordinary moment in life that suddenly feels significant.” - Matthew Zapruder, Why Poetry (2017)
Two years ago, after a (rather memorable) meeting during the divestment of a business I was helping lead, I started writing. Rather, I started writing again. But this time, all the words that flowed forth were poems. Poems about work. (Stay tuned…in Memo #2, I will share the poem that started it all.)
There are thousands of business and leadership books published each year, but a scarce few would be considered “creative” writing, and even fewer dare tackle the poetic form. And yet, from nine consecutive seasons of The Office, to the current dystopian fascination with Severance, it’s clear that the workplace offers a backdrop of stories (real or imagined) that pulls us in to entertain or give us pause.
“American poetry has defined business mainly by excluding it. Business does not exist in the world of poetry, and therefore by implication it has become everything that poetry is not - a world without imagination, enlightenment, or perception. It is the universe from which poetry is trying to escape.” - Dana Gioia, Can Poetry Matter (2002)
Challenged by Gioia’s provocative essay, I set out in search of other voices who dared to cross the chasm, blending the worlds of poetry and the workplace. I found several established and emerging poets and creatives who have inspired my work, and I look forward to sharing some of them with you in the weeks ahead.
Who am I?
If you don’t already know me, you can find the full story of how workLIT came to be and my professional creds here. (scroll to bottom for Bio). Warning to members of the poetry “academy,” I earned an MBA, not an MFA.
Why now?
Today’s workLIT launch coincides with Bastille Day as well as National Tape Measure Day here in the US. I’ll revisit the latter celebration in a future post - fascinating. But the real launch affirmation came from solving the NYT Strands puzzle a few days ago. The universe has officially spoken. I pushed the workLIT website live a few hours later and teed up this post.
I believe…
During times of significant transformation (read uncertainty), the practice of poetry and the science of storytelling can spark the uniquely human capacity for contemplation, curiosity, creativity, and connection. I know from experience that people (and teams) who practice and hone these skills are incredibly valuable to organizations facing both opportunities and threats.
The modern workplace is increasingly diverse, digital, and dispersed. For the first time in history, six generations may be working side by side. We’re also in the midst of what some have termed the fourth industrial revolution, where innovation, new technologies, and post-pandemic workplace issues require more flexible thinking.
Living and working through a period of such rapid change in both markets and technology reveals a range of emotions—from curiosity and exhilaration to dread and fear. Personal and organizational success, even mere survival, is increasingly dependent on the creativity and imagination of the people who lead and inhabit them, namely the modern worker…even if (or because) some of these new workers aren’t even human.
What does success look like?
It’s pretty simple. I hope that the writing and ideas presented by workLIT resonate with you or someone you know. Sure, my BHAG is to demonstrate to the most analytical corporate types that there is, in fact, a world where the ROI of a poem can be a proven competitive advantage. And maybe enough readers will convince me to launch the first-ever Corporate Poet Laureate program and community. But between now and then, I’ll settle for the feeling that someone reading a post or poem feels something, or is even inspired to pick up their pen.
What to expect as a subscriber?
workLIT posts and poems will drop (fittingly) as “Monday Memos.” Here's “Pigeonery,” one of a few I've posted as preview. The occasional “TGIF” post will highlight evidence in the field that support workLIT or just another poem to end the week. I will also experiment with poetry readings and interviews and welcome others to share their work for publication on workLIT as we build a community of creatives in the workplace.
THANK YOU for subscribing and/or sharing workLIT with a friend, colleague, client, job seeker, leader, line-manager, gig-worker, marketing chief, product or sales team, entrepreneur, or retiree. I promise there will be something for everyone. We’ve even launched a referral program with incentives (paid workLIT subscriptions) for those that share to their networks. Sharing is caring.
So incredibly proud of you, H!