What We Mean an Award Winning Poetry App
What We Mean is a poetry chapbook and creative application. Composed using love letters written between his grandmother and grandfather during World War 2, J. A. Fisher presents 20 blackout poems. In an effort to simulate a poetic War Department Censurer, Mr. Fisher redacted sections of his grandfather’s letters into poetry. Using the versatility of the digital medium, he weaves a poetic narrative between the original content of the letters and the created poems. Readers can swipe between both copies at will; choosing to either read the intact letters, poems, or the narrative that takes place between the two. Enjoy this final unspoken conversation between grandson and grandfather and then create your own masterpiece. Compose works of art, jokes, and meaning using your device’s camera in concert with the instruments of What We Mean.
General Information
Project Role
Designer, developer, and project manager
Downloads Views
Over 10K downloads on iOS
Tech Stack
Corona SDK, XCode, LUA
Funding Source or Client
Appoet Inc.
Publications
0
Still Available
No
The Process
I had for 200 letters to read and enjoy while I worked. Naturally, some of the letters were more powerful than others. Once I found the letters that affected me the most, I set to work.
Each letter was scanned and shrunk down by 250%. I printed the letters and highlighted poetic passages. Some letters contained three or four poems each. The best ones made their way into the app
Press on What We Mean
Honorable Mention at Corona Labs
What We Mean shares a captivating collection of poetry based on love letters between the developer’s (J. A. Fisher’s) grandparents during World War II. As a poetry lover and history buff, I absolutely loved the compilation of beautiful poems inspired by the original content from the letters. J. A. Fisher also shares 20 blackout poems – by redacting sections of his grandfather’s letters, he simulates a poetic War Department Censurer. What We Mean offers a unique, one-of-a-kind experience that you can enjoy from the App Store.
The Guadian Best IPhone Apps
This thought-provoking poetry app is the work of Joshua Adler Fisher, who has taken love letters written between his grandparents during World War II, then redacted sections of them into poetry that you can read, or play with.
Reviewster Best New Apps of 2013
Listed as one of the best new apps of 2013. Joshua Adler Fisher presents an unusual poetry app based on love letters written between his grandparents during the Second World War. Excerpts from the letters are there for users to read and play with.
GadgetFixx 30 Best iPhone and iPad Apps
This thought-provoking poetry app is the work of Joshua Adler Fisher, who has taken love letters written between his grandparents during World War II, then redacted sections of them into poetry that you can read, or play with.
Kwiksher Showcase
Joshua built a beautiful homage to his beloved grandmother and grandfather. Besides the historical facts, a must for readers passionate about War times, What We Mean is a must have for poetry lovers. I personally like a lot the blackout poems. If you like poems, stop reading this review now and download it.
Noobite
iPhone and iPad users who like to have a daily dose of artistic challenge should try their hand in What We Mean. This app provides an interesting glimpse of a World War 2 romance and a showcase of the beautiful poems that can be crafted from a simple letter. It also provides users an endless opportunity to create their own meaningful text and be proud of it.
Darien Library
This app is actually a poetry chapbook composed using love letters written between the creator’s grandmother and grandfather during World War II. J. A. Fisher presents 20 blackout poems in an effort to simulate a poetic War Department Censurer. Way cool!