Today we’d like to introduce you to Geoff Anderson.
Hi Geoff, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
For many years, I believed craft was the essential ingredient to become an independent artist. My work would become too good to ignore.
My undergraduate degree was in English Literature, where I focused on poetry. I attended Kenyon College, which has a reputable English program. I am Cave Canem fellow and Callaloo fellow with published work in journals I had always considered to be respected in the field.
It was at Callaloo where I worked with poet Vievee Francis, who told me as she worked with me on a piece, that while I had the best craft in the cohort, I did not write the best poems.
Little did I know at the time that this would change the trajectory of my mindset around art.
Since then, I have arrived at a realization that, yes, craft is a prerequisite to success in a discipline. However, craft is actually the assumption–on its own, the best many artists can hope for is a seat in academia, a reliance on philanthropy and nonprofit, and an inability to survive on one’s own. People already assume an artist has craft.
For a poet or artists interested in creative and financial independence without relying on grants or academia or nonprofit support, which gets more limited by the day, we need to learn the skills it takes to get people not only interested in our work, but who value it so much that they are willing to pay for it.
Value comes from solving people’s pain. Pain does not have to be egregious, needing stitches for a cut or laying off a team. The entertainment industry is built on removing the discomfort of deciding what to do tonight.
I’ve created my platform, diVERSES, to serve as a model for poets looking to create a business around their art that is built around solving pain points. My life is sustained by using poetry to resolve my clients’ issues. I use poetry as one tool to help international students with their pronunciation. I use poetry to help poets present their work to the world in a more professional and curated way, through the use of polished video and audio. I assist people with their ability to communicate orally and through the written word.
There are not many active models of poets surviving on poetry, so my goal is for diVERSES to fill the vacuum. I rent a space with my own income–no grants, no shareholders, no board–that I get through using poetry as a tool. It is currently the only space in Columbus dedicated 24/7 to poetry. I actively create videos with local poets so they can present themselves in the world professionally. I offer free headshots once a week so we can uplift the perception of poets. I offer quarterly retreats, weekly workshops, and an online editing forum for writers.
This is the start of a journey that is the start of many other journeys.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Poetry organizations by and large are nonprofit or revolve around academia. diVERSES being a for-profit organization is in a challenging position because there are not many models to look to. This could be for one of two reasons: the market is untapped, or it is not possible to survive on poetry. I believe in the former.
Because the system of poetry is largely non-profit based, it takes time to train writers and the public to understand there is a viable alternative. However, because there is little social proof as of this writing, there is natural risk. The concept I am proposing could fail. Leadership, at some point, requires taking risk. In the words of Seth Godin, a leader is someone who could be wrong.
Besides the need to change mindset, there are additional logistic opportunities to overcome. The location of diVERSES’s space, The Stanza, is on the west side of Columbus, whereas most poets live near downtown, the northern, or eastern neighborhoods of the city. The online reach of diVERSES, while growing, is still small, making attendance and awareness of events energy-intensive to boost.
To counter those realities, I’ve shifted the focus away from metrics like attendance, which I have limited control over, to the benefits I offer poets. Those who attend and take part in offerings are given access to free or steeply discounted workshops, professional recordings of their performances, and similar benefits to make sure they are given value they can spread to others.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m a poet who is applying lessons from running my own American English pronunciation teaching business to poetry. This includes creating and managing video production/Youtube channels, audio production and podcasts, social media content, as well as organic marketing.
My greatest achievement professionally has been finding ways to take lessons from my main business and finding ways to adapt them to poetry, and vice-versa. For many years, I kept my instruction and my art separate. However, I have come to realize that each informs the other. Now, I understand that I am a better teacher when I tap into poetry. I am better poet when I tap into teaching. My students get the most from me the more I am able to show more of myself.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
People seek impact. Though often people are drawn to money or notoriety, the root of both is the amount of influence a person or a company has on others. Regardless of people’s opinions about the companies, Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, and others are worth billions because they have touched literally billions of people.
I think the challenge artists face is creating impact beyond their immediate circle and personal lives. I have taken on the role of impacting people by changing their entire perception around art. In that way, I believe I can bring poets to a place of creative and financial independence.
A part of me is also someone who enjoys a challenge, and who challenges assumptions. The idea of getting poets to view their work as something to build an entire business around is very nontraditional to say the least, but if I’m able to change it, the implications would be gigantic.
Pricing:
- online editing forum (Substation) — $20/month
- monthly workshop modules on craft/business/performance (4 lessons/month in the Poet Business Institute) — $25/month
Contact Info:
- Website: https://diversespoetry.com
- Instagram: @diversespoetry
- Facebook: @diversespoetry
- Youtube: @diversespoetry
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/show/4vAdMbaunOPziRoovm0K5P
