Born from the idea that across history, the most skilled poets could encapsulate a life-story on the back of a cocktail napkin, bringing creation stories—sparks of brilliance—to life, The Napkin Poetry Review began as an effort to celebrate poets and their ability to translate imaginations into narratives we can experience. As we discussed the artists’ works, learning more about poetry’s power and the science behind it, we became inspired to form an initiative to engage global-minded readers and writers, seeking to promote poetry as a tool for mental, physical, and social wellbeing.

Based on scientific and interdisciplinary research, we believe that poetry is an exercise that affects the brain in ways both overlapping and distinct from other linguistic forms. By offering insights about how to incorporate poetry into our daily lives, we hope to encourage mindfulness and reflection, highlighting poetry’s capacity to build both conceptual thinking tools and empathic understandings that can help connect communities. As a platform, we hope to contribute to mediations of this cultural dialogue as we support and advocate for understandings of the magic, both quantitative and undefinable, behind this art form.

Our review also acknowledges poets as some of our system’s original thinkers. Because of their contributions to human understanding, we want to celebrate our poets, highlighting their work through both profiles and collaborations with photographers. In addition to this celebration, we aim to create opportunities for artists through academic and cultural avenues including workshops, conferences, community engagement, and competitions, always looking to reach diverse audiences.

We are listening for both new and established voices to share, fostering along the way a sense of poetry as an accessible art form. We therefore seek collaborations with researchers, businesses, artists, educational institutions, and other media forms to continue the dialogue between arts and sciences. We believe that this continuum can stimulate creativity within fields from business to fine art, and we uphold poetry as a reflection of the quantitative and personal experiences that define humanity.