This Growing Social Media Startup Rises to Meet the Challenge of Mental Health Through Poetry
Poetizer, the social media platform exclusively for poetry is not only giving people a voice through the healthy expression of poetry, but also a more authentic, supportive community and a way to earn additional income.
Can social media be a source for good? Poetizer believes it can and so does its users.
The pandemic, societal and global issues, inflation and more are increasingly taking a toll on people’s mental health worldwide. According to Mental Health America, nearly 50 million Americans are currently experiencing a mental health issue of some kind, and one in four Americans ages 18 to 44 reported in a survey that they received mental health treatment in 2021–2022. Meanwhile more GenZ and Millennials say they are leaving traditional social media platforms for something more “authentic”.
With high demand and changes in insurance coverage for therapy, unable to find the assistance they need, many people are seeking online communities and exploring alternative therapies for self-expression, including poetry.
Who didn’t write poetry or even song lyrics to help them through their awkward teenage years? Today, you can create your own soundtrack of songs that speak to you on your favorite streaming platform. Lyrics can be powerful forms of poetry mixed with music.
The history of poetry in society is long. It has always been present. And while the art has been around for thousands of years, the art has seen a growing renewed interest in the 2000s. In the past decade, and especially during the pandemic, poetry has had a resurgence in what some are calling a full-on renaissance. Websites have cropped up to support and publish poetry writers and afficionados.
Yet, no websites have been able to build a true community.
One Man Walking Through a Park. It’s Poetry.
Luksa Sedlaceck was walking through Stromovka Park in Prague. As most people do, he was there to think. His mind soon wondered to poetry and how he began writing after seeing the movie “The Dead Poets society”. He may not have found the solution to his then problem, but he did rediscover his love for writing poetry. His creativity began to flow, and emotions released in each word.
The more Sedlacek wrote, the more he saw the need for convenience meaning that if he sees something that inspires him to write, he should be able to pull out his mobile phone to do so. There was really no such option other than a note keeping type app. He kept writing.
The next phase for most writers is to share your writing, in this case poems, with someone else, or a lot of someones. In 2018, although the web had select websites and literary magazines publishing people’s poetry, there was really no real engagement. It was more of a “post it and leave it”, but in a world where social media is part of everyday life and “engagement” is everywhere, it didn’t make much sense to publish a poem and that be it.
Social media channels have been giving poets an outlet branding the term “Instapoets” while TikTok has opened doors for performing and reading poetry. It’s helped launch poets like Atticus, whose readers have tattooed lines of his poetry on their bodies. Amanda Gorman’s online popularity and following has exploded, and Rupi Kaur has found a large audience online.
While these platforms are amplifying the voices of budding writers, musicians and creating “Millionaire Poets”, they are also causing big time stress, anxiety, insecurities and frustration with millions of people who are now looking for social media that is more positive.
Writing poems has been shown to positively impact mental and emotional health. And with a majority of people that simply want to write poetry as a form of expression or emotional release, what if you don’t want to be “Instafamous”?
Poetizer: Where Poetry Gets Social
Sedlacek kept thinking about a community app for poetry that was mobile so that someone could write in the exact moment they are inspired. He built the first app mostly for fun but soon began to see the traction was having. People were using it. Posting poems and communicating with one another. It got him and his then girlfriend (now wife) thinking more. Soon after she gifted him the domain Poetizer.com as a birthday gift.
The app became a website and more people continued to come making Poetizer a bona fide idea turned new social media startup for poetry that could be a source for good in the world.
Poetizer, is the first social media platform “born” in Europe and allows people to post and share their poetry and also engage one with other users. The next generation social network is also meeting the demand from GenZ for online communities that are more authentic. Poetizer is giving them a new community with more meaning and the positivity is baked in to Poetizer’s foundation. The platform only allows people to like a poem posted, never dislike.
With little to know promotion, Poetizer has grown and spread around the world to 330,000 users in 120 countries — with most users in the U.S. — building a community that is truly supportive and respectful of others on the platform.
“The unique thing about our community is that it self-regulates,” said Sedlacek. “If someone is expressing that they’re depressed or sad, the community is quick to notice when someone needs help or encouragement. If someone is being mean or disrespectful, the community will act quickly to quash negative comments or combative behaviors on the site.”
But the startup doesn’t just rely on its community to notice when someone needs extra assistance.
Poetizer uses AI that tracks certain words and expressions so the company can determine if someone needs professional help or is displaying concerning behaviors.
Poetizer works like this,
after logging into the app you write. Write from your mobile phone in the app or on your desktop computer, post, or simply read and engage with other users’ poems in the newsfeed. Simple, clean and intentional. The website and app have a straightforward design meant to put a focus on the poems. Sedlacek says that the newsfeed will never be cluttered with advertisements, which takes away from purpose of the social media platform.
Tackling Mental Health Issues
Atticus is a poet who has found tremendous success sharing his work and connecting with others who are using poetry to heal. The anonymous three-time New York Times Bestselling author of LVOE (Simon & Schuster, 2022) and Poetizer Ambassador said that during the pandemic he received messages from many people working through their emotions saying poetry helped them process their sadness. “I think it’s amazing how many people find therapy through poetry. Getting it out of your head and onto paper is a beautiful lost art.”
Poetry has long been used as a technique in therapeutic settings. Experts say it is the format of poetry, its rhythm and uses of symbols, colors and carefully thought-out words that make it a powerful tool for healing.
During the pandemic, many people turned to poetry as a way to express their feelings of anxiety, fear, loneliness and more. Poetizer saw a huge boost in users during this time resulting in more than 3,000,000 poems written and shared on the platform. Users say that they see poetry as a medium that has helped them deal with difficulties in life and improve their mental health.
“The need to address mental health is greater than it’s ever been. It’s no surprise we’re seeing a growing interest in poetry,” says Nicholas Mazza, PhD, PTR. “Writing poetry offers a unique opportunity for emotional release and self-discovery that is empowering and healing, and it’s clear people are seeking it out. They’re looking for more positive social connections and communities that are supportive, understanding and where expression is authentic. Poetizer gives them this with all the benefits for a healthier mind.”
Nicholas Mazza, Ph.D, PTR, editor of the Journal of Poetry Therapy and president of the National Association for Poetry Therapy has practiced, researched, and taught poetry therapy for more than 40 years. He says that poetry’s unique use of language, symbol, story and rhythm has been effective in therapeutic settings. And while typically a solitary act, sharing poetry can provide additional healing and support.
“Poetry has the unique ability to facilitate meaningful shared experiences,” says Dr. Mazza. “Poetizer has given a home to poetry as a positive social network connecting people to others who have the same emotions about life, societal issues, economic and global concerns. It allows people to express themselves freely and to build community.”
“I love that poets leave comments for one another,” said Chloe Aldecoa-DeFina, 24, a Poetizer user from Arizona. “Some of the comments I receive are how people really relate to what I’m writing, or they’ve experienced a certain feeling like that. It’s just nice to know that out there that people are going through the same things that you’re going through.”
A Source for Good: True Social Responsibility
Living on the west side of Rockford, IL nine-year-old Christopher Sims became interested in poetry because of rap music. Inspired by the poetic nature of rap lyrics he knew that he could do the same thing and began writing rhymes and poems. Soon he was collaborating with other young bards (or poets) and then in his school’s talent show with his group the “City Rap Force”.
Today, he is a widely known writer, poet, spoken word performer and anti-racism activist and educator. “Poetry is my lifeline; poetry is my breath; poetry connects me to the spiritual realm where it empowers me to deal with the physical realm,” says Sims an avid Poetizer user. “Poetry helped me find, create, and use my own voice. Poetry is my platform. I use it to point at the ugliness and the beauty in our world. I am hoping to impact people, so we can join forces and design the changes we need in society where everyone is equally loved and embraced.”
And the Poetizer community does actively embrace and rally around one another, often helping people in surprising ways.
Known as Nascent Epilogues on Poetizer, Geoffrey Williams, 35 from Portland, Oregon, discovered the social media platform on the Google Play Store while living in a homeless shelter. He had been there for more than a month. It was cold outside, and he decided to create an account.
That fateful day in January 2019 started as a distraction from the dark, depressed and disheartening world that was his reality. Jobless and seemingly alone, he began posting things he had written and collected. His first post was “A Light”.
“Cast some light on the crosses and
It’ll be alright.
Cast some sunlight, it’ll be alright.
Crosshairs aimed at the goal at
The end:
The final destination of a new beginning.
People may stare,
But keep in mind that tonight
It’ll be alright.
Cast some light and it’ll be alright.”
For Williams, this poem was a sense of foretelling that this was a new beginning. Gradually, he posted more and more. Little one offs and quips until published a short story, in multiple pieces, on Poetizer called “Ink”.
“This is when I realized that Poetizer is my home,” says Williams. “I tried to share my writings in other places and never got the same reaction or feedback on my work. Poetizer is where I not only found myself again, but where I was able to rebirth myself into something I’ve wanted to be and engage with my peers on the app.”
Much has changed for Williams since that fate-filled night in 2019. He said that initial light he felt has grown even brighter than before, and though he may not know where things are going, he is excited to take every turn to see what’s just around the bend and past the distant sky.
“I’m in a much better place than I was in 2019, and I can’t help but think how much Poetizer has done in helping me reach this point.
Bringing a World Together
Poetry and writings have been one of the only ways that people can express what they’re feeling about things happening around the world, and Poetizer is the destination.
“One of the most powerful things we’ve seen is an increase in ‘Statement Poetry’ expressing emotion about social and global issues,” says Sedlacek. “Poetizer has become the place where people around the world come together.”
When the war in Ukraine broke out, thousands of Poetizer users flooded the feed with poems in support of the country. Sedlacek said it was the moment they realized the power of poetry and Poetizer.
“This past spring, so many people were writing poems in support of Ukraine, that we decided to print them off and post them on the John Lennon wall in Prague. It was then that we saw our global community come together in expressions of every kind and understood the force of poetry and Poetizer.”
Poetizer held an event at the John Lennon wall, a world famous monument of peace and love, where people and poets from around the world read a select few poems, some in their native language. Behind, hundreds of poems hung on the wall gently flapping in the cold February wind behind as each poem was read aloud.
Challenging the Publishing Industry
The next natural fit when you have thousands of poems being shared daily, is to give these poets the opportunity to share their work with others offline.
“As I launched Poetizer, I got more and more drawn into the world of publishing and discovered all the obstacles writers face on their journey to get published, how difficult it is for authors to self-publish. I wanted to remove those barriers,” said Sedlacek.
Unless you’re an established, bankable writer, a majority of writers, in all genres, have always had a difficult time getting published and earning a good income. Sedlacek says that the complexities of self-publishing platforms today coupled with the toll the current publishing process takes on the environment, the industry is ripe for new innovation that is easier, eco-friendlier and more sustainable.
Launched in August 2022, Poetizer Publishing provides an easy all-in-one eco-friendly publishing tech solution for authors that lets them easily and quickly have their work formatted, illustrated, printed, shipped and sold. It also gives authors a way to market their books to their followers on Poetizer and making it available in the Poetizer Bookstore.
The one piece that Sedlacek wanted to address was offering authors the opportunity to generate real income by selling books on its platform with a built-in community of poetry lovers. He says the company offers authors a larger margin of sales than other platforms.
“Authors in the US are typically impoverished with 80% earning less than sufficient income,” said Sedlacek. “Poetizer Publishing is the easiest to use platform for self-publishing authors and we can offer them the ability to earn more income than other platforms.”
Aldecoa-DeFina debuted her first book of poetry in college but had a hard time getting it published. Recently, thanks to Poetizer Publishing, Chloe published Dangerous Women Are Filled with Joy, which is currently for sale in the Poetizer Bookstore.
Williams continues to write has been able to print physical copies of his work through Poetizer Publishing and earn some income. “Actually holding a book of my own words is, frankly, beyond words. And now I sit upon a new horizon with another opportunity before me — selling my works.”
A Greener Publishing Platform
For Sedlacek, social responsibility is at the core of Poetizer and can be seen and felt in everything the company does. He says that the traditional publishing industry is antiquated and often done in another country in large quantities and then shipped to a country where books are then shipped again to readers or stores. Unsold books typically end up in landfills. He recognized that Poetizer could do even more by creating a sustainable approach to book publishing that would reduce landfill waste and company carbon footprint. Something that users and company employees can feel good about.
“The publishing industry is the world’s third largest industrial greenhouse emitter. We believe that we can reduce waste and be a more environmentally responsible company by changing the way books are printed and delivered,” said Sedlacek. “By rethinking the process, we can greatly reduce the waste and carbon footprint of publishing by printing on demand closest to the final point of delivery.”
A Movement for World Mental Health Day 2022: Write a Poem, Publish a Book
The WHO has designated Monday, October 10, 2022 as World Mental Health Day, an initiative to rekindle efforts to protect and improve mental health. Poetizer encourages everyone to write at least one poem expressing something that is on their mind. They can either keep it personal, share it with someone or with many “someones” and experience the supportive and open Poetizer community firsthand.
To help people get started, Poetizer has a downloadable booklet with tips and advice from Dr. Mazza, including simple writing prompts.
And to boost further sharing, people can give the gift of poetry for the holidays by publishing their own book.
“Perhaps, if there was more poetry in our lives, there would be less need for therapy,” said Mazza.
Poetizer is a free platform available via the Poetizer App for iOS and Android, and accessible through their website.
