In 2015, O, Miami Poetry Festival, and WLRN, a public radio station in Miami, Florida, collaborated to create a unique form of poetry called the Zip Ode. The Zip Ode is a five-line poem that uses the numbers of a zip code to determine the number of words in each line, making it a creative way to celebrate the sense of place in a particular area.
Since its invention, the Zip Ode has become a popular tool for individuals and organizations to connect with their communities. Every spring, O, Miami, and WLRN host an initiative to collect Zip Odes. However, the form has also traveled all around the United States, including cities like Orlando, Toledo, and Boston, and has been featured on media outlets such as The Takeaway and The Washington Post.
In an interview with The Takeaway, Scott Cunningham, the founder of O, Miami Poetry Festival, shared his thoughts on why the Zip Ode has been so successful: “I think people are looking for new and different ways to connect with where they live… Zip codes, of course, are incredibly personal and they’re incredibly specific. You really can’t get any more specific than a five-digit number that corresponds to a very small geographic region.”
The simplicity of the Zip Ode form has allowed for variations to be created, such as using postal codes instead of zip codes. For instance, Kris Archie, a community organizer and founder of The Circle, came up with a solution to areas that have postal codes instead of zip codes, where the line has a letter instead of a number, and that line has one word that must begin with that letter.
Here is an example of Kris Archie’s version of a Zip Ode:
V5B 3H4 (by Kris Archie)
Very long grey rainy days in Burnaby Magnolia blossoms bursting Hovering Over Archie Olson family
Mark Gifford, a poet and musician from Vancouver, also created a Zip Ode using his postal code.
Here is Mark Gifford’s version of a Zip Ode:
V3M 2Y9 (by Mark Gifford)
Vancouver is up Kingsway Maybe New Westminster Yields to pressure to build nice long bridge over Burnaby
The Zip Ode is designed to celebrate the uniqueness of a particular place and the sense of belonging that comes with it. Anyone can use the Zip Ode as a free, open-source tool to connect with their communities, provided that they credit the invention of the Zip Ode to O, Miami Poetry Festival, and WLRN.
In an interview with The Takeaway, Kris Archie shared her thoughts on how the Zip Ode can be used as a tool for community building: “I think poetry is an amazing tool to start conversations about belonging, to start conversations about place and identity, and it’s a really accessible way for people to participate in that kind of dialogue. When we start talking about belonging and place and identity, it’s really important to have different perspectives, different voices in that conversation.”
The beauty of the Zip Ode lies in the creative freedom it offers, which allows individuals to infuse their unique perspective and experience of a particular place into the poem. As Kris Archie explains, “I think what’s really interesting about the Zip Ode is that it’s a really personal form. It’s really about where you’re from and how you experience where you’re from… It’s really interesting to see how people interpret that in different ways.”
To write a Zip Ode, one needs to write the numbers of their zip code down the left-hand side of the page, with each number determining the number of words in that line. If there is a zero in the zip code, that line is a wildcard, meaning you can leave it blank, insert an emoji or symbol, or use any number of words between 1 and 9.
The Zip Ode has inspired many people to express their love for their communities through poetry. One participant of the Zip Ode initiative shared their experience of writing a Zip Ode: “It was really fun to think about my zip code and what it means to me. The Zip Ode form allowed me to express my feelings in a unique and creative way, and I felt a deeper connection to my community as a result.”
If you’re interested in participating in the Zip Ode initiative, we highly recommend that you join the Zip Odes Finale Reading on April 26, 2023, at the beautiful Vizcaya Museum & Gardens in Miami, Florida. This is an opportunity to celebrate the power of place and community through poetry, and we believe that you won’t want to miss it. RSVP here to reserve your spot at the finale reading.
The Zip Ode is more than just a form of poetry; it’s a way to connect with your community and celebrate the uniqueness of your hometown. As Scott Cunningham explains, “We really believe that poetry can help bring people together and create a sense of belonging in a place.” The Zip Ode is a perfect example of how poetry can be used to celebrate the beauty of a particular place and the sense of belonging that comes with it.
In conclusion, the Zip Ode is a powerful tool for community building and a celebration of the power of place in poetry. We encourage everyone to give the Zip Ode a try and share their love for their community through this unique and creative form of poetry.
