About

We are scholars and translators from the Language and Literature departments of Brown University who explore the universality of poetry, beyond its geographical and historical borders, so that readers can expand their access to poetry and its interpretations.

We intend to give poetry further visibility throughout a collection of works that appeal to the public of any background and language. By collecting poetry from diverse traditions and joining them under one common topic, we want to create a free space where people can reflect on universal themes and enjoy the variety of poetic images from various époques and cultures.

Each piece of our poetic collections has its distinctive meaning, but also acquires a higher significance if considered as a part of a more articulated and extended body of interpretations.

We select isolated poems, which match the theme of the given issue, and provide them with our scholarly commentaries and blog posts. Each poem includes an audio recording of the original, prepared by us or the contributors, so that everyone could experience poetry through the beauty of sound.

Purple Ink is unique because of the interdisciplinary work it involves. Its goal is to build collaboration between humanities fields as well as highlight the multitudes of cultures. We invite all readers to participate in our discussions, share ideas and suggestions.

Editorial Board