In-Between Worlds Digital Poetry Book

In the U.S., over 30 million Americans were either born outside the U.S. or their parents were. Millions of young first- and second-generation Americans are still finding their unique place in American society without the chance to express their struggles and issues in digital spaces. ‘In-Between Worlds’ project offers them precisely that.

This Landecker project will work with young, first- and second-generation Americans to create a digital, audio-visual Spotify/Tik Tok book. First, through a series of creative writing workshops across three months, the participants will explore ways to express themselves and their cultural belonging in a creative way.

They will learn methods of writing poetry and poetic fragments. After that, individual guidance and one-on-one work on poems and stories will take place. In this phase, the participants will delve deeper into their stories, preparing them for the format appropriate for social media.

Upon completion of individual work, around 40 pieces will be selected and edited into a poetry collection. The last part of the project will be the production and publication of pieces on Tik Tok and Spotify in the form of a digital, audio-visual book titled “In-Between Worlds.”

Fundamentally, this project is shaping and reshaping mass digital platforms into spaces where the experience of belonging to a different culture can be seen. With this digital book of young people still adapting to life in the U.S., links and connections will be created.

Most importantly, a safe, online space for self-expression will be created with the understanding that digital platforms both in the U.S. and globally should include multiple cultures and tell stories of different communities.

Updated November 2022