We’re living in the age of the Internet and it’s only going to become more and more prominent and accessible in our lives, whether we like it or not.
When I stumbled upon British independent actor Mark Ruddick’s initiative to bring poetry to the world through the wide web, I jumped on the idea to take part.
Ruddick opened a casual Facebook group called 100 Poems in 100 Days that appeared on my news feed last fall. He described the group simply as a “collaborative project for poets to have their word heard over the Internet.”
I was attracted to the idea to bring spoken word and poetry to the Internet because, if the Internet is going to be such a big part of our lives, we should make it worthwhile.
Instead of having a night at a local pub, we have daily poetry from individuals internationally, January to April.
To be honest though, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to practice my rusty spoken word in my bedroom and have it shared with the world from the comfort of my own home. I asked Ruddick what encouraged him to start the project.
“I am dyslexic but I have always enjoyed literature because of its ability to teach people without them even knowing it. If knowledge is acquired in an interesting way through a poem or story it has a life and context which takes it out of the mundane and into the real world,” he said.
As fall turned into winter, Ruddick’s messages to the group grew consciously enthused as individuals from England, Canada, the United States, China, Israel, Palestine and Germany signed up for dates.
I managed to convince a few fellow Carleton students to sign up as well. It’s a great opportunity for those, like myself, who want to get their work out there but haven’t quite gotten to the stage requiring public appearance confidence. For these reasons, the Internet is a good thing.
Social networking sites allow us to connect to people around the globe whom we may never have crossed paths.
Talking to Ruddick about 100 Poems and how he got the ball rolling is one of many positive experiences that can be had online.
“The idea [for 100 Poems in 100 Days] struck me while I was naked in my old bedroom at my parents’ house feeling sorry for myself. I don’t know why my being naked is important but I wont lie to you,” Ruddick said.
Ruddick graduated from university last year where he met Isley Lynn, another performer in 100 Poems who encouraged him to start performing poetry. He quickly lost creative interest after moving home, but with the help of YouTube clips of Henry Rollins and The Suicide Kings, he realized “long words and big ideas don’t make you intelligent.”
“The project was originally a very selfish venture,” he said. “I originally thought that only about three people would sign up and so I would have to continually write to fill the quota and this would keep me writing.”
A month into 100 poems, there are 10 days left to be filled by a poet for each day and the project has become a great deal bigger than Ruddick initially imagined.
It has grown into a bigger multinational success than he expected.
“As one of my literary hero states, ‘knowledge without mileage is bullshit,’ ” Ruddick said. “The Internet offers those important first steps into getting out and trying new things.”