Born Digital Poetry

Born Digital Poetry Project Pilot

“Born-digital” refers to materials created in a digital environment, rather than being digitized from physical or analog records. In practice, however, the process is often hybrid, sometimes involving works that are first created in analog form and then moving back and forth between digital and physical formats. The project aims to better understand how poetry is made in the digital era, and, in turn, how archives and libraries can manage it to ensure future discoverability and long-term preservation. The project also aims to set up a collaborative community of practice, bringing together scholars, translators, poets, and information specialists to explore the evolving intersection of technology and poetry.

The project includes a pilot to further process the digital materials of Mary Jo Bang, a professor of English at WashU and a renowned poet and translator. Bang’s works include translations of Dante’s Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso, as well as more than ten poetry collections. Using Bang’s work in this project pilot allows greater discoverability of Bang’s digital materials (1992–2019) alongside her analog counterparts, safeguarding her literary contributions for future research and study. The project will also inform the acquisition, processing, and access of newer collections from poets who are digital natives, ensuring future generations have access to this critical part of literary history.

Project Leadership

Under the guidance of an advisory board, the project is led by Nadia Ghasedi, associate university librarian for Special Collections, Preservation, and Digital Strategies; Joy Novak, head of Special Collections; Joel Minor, curator of the Modern Literature Collection; Mitch Sumner, head of Digital Preservation; Sarah Weeks, web and email archives coordinator; and Kelli West, digital preservation specialist. The project also includes two fellows: Christa Kileff and Sarah María Medina Pérez.

The Born Digital Poetry project acknowledges the support of the Mellon Foundation and credits the WashU Libraries and the Modern Literature Collection for providing the space and infrastructure necessary for the project.

Advisory Board