How SWFL Writers incorporates this into our events

Our Exquisite Corpse initiative invites everyone to become part of the creatives process, whether you’re a lifelong poet or haven’t written a line since grade school. At community events throughout Southwest Florida, we facilitate playful, accessible group poems inspired by traditions like the exquisite corpse. Each participant contributes a line, thought, or fragment, building on the creativity of the people around them.

The result is something no one person could have created alone: a poem greater than the sum of its parts, shaped by many voices, and capturing the unique energy of a particular place and moment.

These poem are more than creative experiments: they’re snapshots of community. Each line carries one person’s perspective, but together they become a shared experience, inviting participants to both inspire and be inspired by one another.

Explore the collaborative poems below that were created at community events and see what Southwest Florida creates together.