A website that puts the poetry—not promotion—at the center
This poet had a previous website which had served him well at first but which had, over time, lost its sense of being alive or “right” for his work. We wanted the new website to reflect the poet’s mindful approach to life and to make his poetry unusually easy to encounter—not holding the work back behind layers of promotion or pushing visitors toward a sale.
Throughout the website, typography, spacing and quiet layouts are designed to make both poems and prose comfortable to read. The poet, who died in 2026, could add a new book, reading, poem or review himself, which let the website grow alongside his career.
HOMEPAGE
We set the tone with a homepage featuring an abstract painting with hints of Zen, overlaid with a review quotation that immediately gives a sense of his poetry. The long-scrolling page lets visitors move naturally between poems, books, news, video and an introduction to the poet himself. Most importantly, full-length poems can be opened and read directly on the homepage.
BOOK PAGES
The books index page includes a short detail below each cover image to allow the user to get a feel for each book before clicking.
Each single book page includes praise it received and its description, with a separate Order button for each bookseller.
This website, built to make the poetry accessible, keeps doing so after the writer is gone. John’s poems, books, readings and reviews stay together in one place for anyone who comes looking.
Thanks so much for all your great work. I appreciate how nice it was to work with you, and I'm super happy with how the site turned out. I think I'll stay much more engaged with it because I like it so much and it's so easy to edit.
Category: authors
