Button Poetry

Button Poetry is a Minneapolis-based poetry company and independent publisher of performance poetry. They are known for their viral videos of slam poetry performances, including a performance of "OCD" by Neil Hilborn that the Knight Foundation called "the most-viewed slam performance in history."[1]

Button Poetry
Founded2011
Country of originUSA
Headquarters locationMinneapolis, Minnesota
Fiction genresPoetry
ImprintsExploding Pinecone Press
Official websitebuttonpoetry.com

History

Button Poetry was founded in 2011 by Sam Cook and Sierra DeMulder to share poetry performances on social media.[2][3] As of 2017 they had over 774,000 YouTube subscribers, over 163 million YouTube video views, and over 1.2 million Facebook followers.[4] In 2013 they began publishing poetry chapbooks.[4]

Button Poetry has recorded performances by Brittney Black Rose Kapri,[5] Elliot Darrow,[6] Neil Hilborn,[7] Denice Frohman,[8] Rudy Francisco,[9] Danez Smith,[10] Melissa Lozada-Oliva,[11] Emi Mahmoud,[12] Aja Monet,[13] Imani Cezanne,[14] Javon Johnson,[15] Desireé Dallagiacomo,[16] Yesika Salgado,[17] and Hanif Abdurraqib.[7]

Criticism

Viral poetry publishers, including Button Poetry, have received backlash from critics who suggest that the works make "a mockery of the whole canon."[18][19] Viral poets have been labeled "Instapoets" due to their specific style and creation for a more broad audience and their placement in visual/social media platforms.[20] At the same time, sales of poetry books and viewing of poetry online have increased.[21] However, poets and linguists have criticized the effects of viral poetry on poetry writing, noting potential homogenization of writing styles among newer poets.[22][23]

Book publications
  • 2012, Neil Hilborn's Clatter[24]
  • 2013, Aziza Barnes's me aunt jemima and the nailgun, ISBN 9780989641500[25]
  • 2014, Sam Sax's A Guide To Undressing Your Monsters, ISBN 9780989641548[26]
  • 2014, J. Scott Brownlee's Highway or Belief, ISBN 9780989641531
  • 2014, Nate Marshall's Blood Percussion, ISBN 9780989641555[27]
  • 2015, Cameron Awkward-Rich's Transit[28]
  • 2015, Danez Smith's, black movie
  • 2016, Jacqui Germain's When the Ghosts Come Ashore[29]
  • 2016, Aaron Coleman's St. Trigger, ISBN 9781943735068
  • 2016, Hanif Abdurraqib's The Crown Ain't Worth Much
  • 2017, Sabrina Benaim's Depression & Other Magic Tricks.[4]
  • 2017, Rachel Wiley's Nothing is Okay
  • 2018, Phil Kaye's Date and Time, ISBN 9781943735365
  • 2019, Brenna Twohy's Swallowtail, ISBN 1943735638[30]

References
  1. Schouweiler, Susannah (April 21, 2014). "Button Poetry is taking poems online to reach young audiences – and they're going viral". Knight Foundation. Retrieved September 7, 2018.
  2. "History - Button Poetry". Button Poetry. Retrieved 2018-08-15.
  3. Brewer, Robert Lee (2017-07-06). "Button Poetry: Poetry Spotlight". Writers Digest. Retrieved 2018-08-15.
  4. Boog, Jason. "Is Poetry the New Adult Coloring Book?". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 2018-08-15.
  5. Dixon, Danielle (2017-01-17). "Gun Violence, Police Brutality and the Black Man". Soul Reflectionz. Archived from the original on 2018-08-16. Retrieved 2018-08-15.
  6. Dias, Elizabeth. "The College Student Behind Viral 'God is Gay' Poem". Time. ISSN 0040-781X. Retrieved 2018-08-15.
  7. Salonek, Lauren (2017-04-18). "5 Of Button Poetry's Must-See Spoken-Word Performances". The Odyssey Online. Retrieved 2018-08-15.
  8. "Denice Frohman". Poetry Foundation. Poetry Foundation. 2018-08-15. Retrieved 2018-08-15.CS1 maint: others (link)
  9. "Remember, tragedy and silence have the same address: A poem for complainers". The Indian Express. 2017-10-14. Retrieved 2018-08-15.
  10. Blay, Zeba (2016-08-11). "Breathtaking Poem Imagines An 'Alternate Heaven For Black Boys'". Huffington Post. Retrieved 2018-08-15.
  11. Vagianos, Alanna (2015-08-20). "One Woman's Reaction To Every 'White Man's Sentence'". Huffington Post. Retrieved 2018-08-15.
  12. Weiss, Suzannah (2016-06-18). "This Poem Reveals What Child Brides Go Through". Bustle. Retrieved 2018-08-15.
  13. Segal, Corinne (2015-09-07). "When the people meant to protect us become our enemy". PBS NewsHour. Retrieved 2018-08-15.
  14. Saul, Isaac (2014-05-09). "Spoken-Word Poet Spears 'Hunger Games' With Her Own Story". Huffington Post. Retrieved 2018-08-15.
  15. Barksdale, Aaron; Jeong, Ji Sub (2015-11-13). "Black Poet Explains Painful Reality Of Police Violence To His 4-Year-Old Nephew". Huffington Post. Retrieved 2018-08-15.
  16. Hatch, Jenavieve (2016-03-02). "15 Witty Comebacks To Every Sleazy Pickup Line". Huffington Post. Retrieved 2018-08-15.
  17. Salgado, Yesika (2015-01-13). "How Not to Make Love to a Fat Girl". Everyday Feminism. Retrieved 2018-08-15.
  18. Ramanathan, Lavanya (2018-05-06). "From Instapoets to the bards of YouTube, poetry is going viral. And some poets hate that". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2018-08-15.
  19. Chakraborty, Shamvabee (2014-02-24). "Unbuttoning 'Button Poetry': A Poetry Movement That Is Gaining Mass Popularity". Youth Ki Awaaz. Retrieved 2018-08-15.
  20. Alter, Alexandra (2015-11-07). "Web Poets' Society: New Breed Succeeds in Taking Verse Viral". The New York Times. Retrieved 2018-08-15.
  21. Vanry, Nikki (2017-04-20). "10 Poets For People Who Think They Don't Like Poetry". BOOK RIOT. Retrieved 2018-08-15.
  22. Bartley, Savon. "Blavity talks performance poetry, going viral and HBO Def Jam with Button Poetry". Blavity. Retrieved 2018-08-15.
  23. Donaldson, Jesse (2017-02-05). "This Is Why You Probably Hate Slam Poetry, According to a Linguistic Scholar". Vice. Retrieved 2018-08-15.
  24. "Clatter". 2012. Retrieved 2020-03-23.
  25. "Aziza Barnes". Poetry Foundation. Poetry Foundation. 2018-08-14. Retrieved 2018-08-15.CS1 maint: others (link)
  26. Luo, Yanyi (2015-04-23). "[REVIEW] A Guide to Undressing Your Monsters, by Sam Sax - [PANK]". [PANK]. Retrieved 2018-08-15.
  27. Margolin, Christopher (2015-06-15). "REVIEW: BLOOD PERCUSSION – Nate Marshall (Button Poetry / Exploding Pinecone Press)". The Poetry Question. Retrieved 2018-08-15.
  28. "Transit". 2015. Retrieved 2020-03-23.
  29. "When the Ghosts Come AShore". 2016. Retrieved 2020-03-23.
  30. "Swallowtail". 2019. Retrieved 2020-03-23.
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