Brothers and Morecambe business owner launch new social poetry platform

Two brothers and a Morecambe businessman have joined forces to encourage people to slow down on their social media use - via poetry!

Warren Mortimer from Morecambe, his brother Lee and David Waddington, who owns local gelato firm Miogaleto, have founded a new creative platform called SoPoet which invites people to rediscover meaningful social media.

At a time when people are growing tired of endless scrolling and online negativity, this platform is taking an alternative approach.

SoPoet.co.uk is a creative social community built around the simple idea of slowing down.

Rather than chasing likes, trends and endless feeds, SoPoet encourages people to combine a photograph with a short snippet of poetry to create what are known as 'poetgraphs' – a thoughtful pairing of words and images crafted to inspire others.

Warren is a Morecambe-based poet who lives in the area with his partner Beth and daughter Penny. He works at Lancaster University and has lived in the Morecambe district for 10 years.

Lee, a lecturer and fluid dynamicist at the University of Leeds, is the technical driving force behind SoPoet, having designed and built the platform through his knowledge of coding and creative problem-solving.

“SoPoet began life as a remedy for the hustle and bustle of social media,” said Warren.

"That’s why we believe in taking the slow and steady approach. What better way to do so than by matching your best words with your sharpest images?”

The platform hopes to recreate the feeling many people remember from the early days of online communities – welcoming spaces where creativity, conversation and lasting friendship came before algorithms and outrage.

"Poetry and photography have always shared a common goal," said Warren.

"From William Blake to Stevie Smith, poets have always found ways to visualise their thoughts. Far from narrowing its meaning, we believe that a photograph can crystallise the essence of a poem’s mood. They say a picture speaks 1,000 words. We say why not have both?”

SoPoet is currently in its testing phase, inviting members of the public to help shape its future. New users are encouraged to explore the platform, create their own poetgraphs and share anonymous feedback to help improve the experience.

“It doesn’t matter whether you capture the world with Nikon or Nokia, this is a platform for anyone who dares to imagine," said Lee.

More details HERE.