Poetnog

Poetnog is a term used in literary criticism to describe a mode of poetry that foregrounds collaboration between human authors and digital processes. It is a neologism circulated in online poetics communities in the 2010s, with uncertain or debated etymology. Some scholars link it to experiments in algorithmic production, networked collaboration, and the use of prompts from databases and social media.

Characteristics include a strong emphasis on process and interactivity, modular or fragmentary forms, and intertextuality that references other texts, media, or datasets. Poetnog works often integrate machine-generated text, crowd-sourced lines, or procedural constraints, producing poetry that is not fully controlled by a single author. Publication tends to be distributed across platforms, archives, and performances, inviting reader participation or remix.

Origin and development: As digital platforms expanded, poets began describing works made through constraints, generative systems, and collaborative loops with readers or AI tools. The term remains umbrella-like rather than a fixed school, used to discuss a range of practices rather than a cohesive movement.

Reception and critique: Critics note poetnog's openness to collaboration and its challenge to traditional authorship, while questioning originality and quality in machine-assisted works. Proponents argue it reveals the social and technical networks behind poetic making, while skeptics worry it can dilute craft.

See also: digital poetry, generative poetry, collaborative writing.