If Taylor Swift is the chairman of “The Tortured Poets Department,” there’s a case to be made that author Kristie Daugherty is on the board of directors.
The University of Evansville professor had an idea following the release of Swift’s 11th studio album to reach out to Pulitzer Prize-winning poets, Instapoets and New York Times bestselling poets.
“I went after my heroes,” she says over Zoom, pointing to the shelves over her shoulder inundated with literature. “I went to my bookshelves and started writing down names of my dream writers.”
Her friend Stephanie Burt — who teaches a Taylor Swift class at Harvard University — put her in touch with a book agent. Daugherty was tasked with completing a 51-page proposal.
“I put a sign on my wall with a picture of Taylor,” she says. “I wrote, ‘If Taylor can sing and dance 44 songs for three and a half hours, then I can write nonstop until this is finished.”
Long live the Eras Tour with our enchanting book
Three days later, she sent the paperwork to her agent, and a bidding war between publishers ensued. Ballantine Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House, secured the rights.
The next chapter included matching each poet to one of Swift’s songs. The assignment was for each author to capture the essence of a song and leave behind clues for readers to guess which tune inspired the poem.
“I wrote each poet’s name on a card and laid them all out on the floor,” Daugherty explains. “Then I would pull up a couple of their poems and hand select a song that would really resonate with them, instead of just randomly assigning a song.”
Within weeks, the stanzas came pouring in. Daugherty printed out 113 works and turned her living room into a scene from the “Fortnight” music video, with papers strewn across the floor.
“Numbers are so important to Taylor and to me,” she says.
The fifth poem reflects a Track 5 song. The 13th poem links to a song Swift said was her favorite to write. And the 113th poem about one of Swift’s most legendary songs — “All Too Well (10 Minute Version)” — written by Daugherty and Diane Seuss, a Pulitzer Prize-winning poet.
“She held my hand through the whole thing,” Daugherty says. “She came up with the form of 12 sections of couplets and then it repeats 13 lines at the end for the 13th stanza.”
The structure nods to Swift’s favorite number of 13 and symbolizes how, at the end of a relationship, a “twin flame” burns out and the narrator is alone.
The final show in Vancouver
“Invisible Strings: 113 Poets Respond to the Songs of Taylor Swift” was released on Dec. 3, days before the singer performed her final Eras Tour shows in Vancouver, Canada.
Daugherty was there and remembers one moment all too well, because she was sitting near the singer’s family including Swift’s mom Andrea.
“I went to give the book to Andrea and was saying, ‘This is a celebration of your daughter and her songwriting,’” Daugherty says. “She leaned in and pulled me until we were cheek-to-cheek and listened.”
Swift’s mother took the book and Daugherty’s emotions ran amok.
To celebrate National Poetry Month, Daugherty is partnering with Swift Alert, an app that reached more than two million global users. Swift Alert is promoting a game allowing Swifties to match poems to songs. Players can win prizes.
The book is available for $18.99, with proceeds going to the 113 Poets Foundation, started by Daugherty to provide grants to poets.
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