A design studio specializing in the art of adaptation
Named for the ancient Athenian poet and lawgiver—as well as the beauty salons in Harlem, run by his grandmother, where our founder once honed his love of language—the organization has three wings: Solar Song, The Strivers Row, and The Adaptation Lab. Each exemplifies a distinct element of the company’s larger commitment, which is the cultivation of transformative art experiences across genre and medium. Poems, albums, immersive installations, films, live performances, public programs, and vibrant machines all share space here. We are in the business of making beautiful things. And of making things beautiful.
Founder + Principal Dr. Joshua Bennett
Dr. Joshua Bennett is Distinguished Chair of the Humanities and Professor of Literature at MIT. He is the author of seven books, including Spoken Word: A Cultural History (Knopf, 2023), which was named a New York Times Notable Book of 2023; The Study of Human Life (Penguin, 2022), which won the Paterson Poetry Prize and was adapted for television in collaboration with Warner Brothers Studios; and The Sobbing School (Penguin, 2016), winner of the National Poetry Series. He lives in Massachusetts with his family.
SOLAR SONG
Solar Song began as a conversation between strangers: one that opened with a question about the limits and aims of adaptation. How might we take up a work of literary theory, its core ideas and aspirations, and transform it into a work of public art? From that initial exchange between Dr. Joshua Bennett and The Poetry Society of America, an immersive outdoor installation was born: The Bond of Live Things Everywhere.
Strivers Row
Founded in 2011, The Strivers Row is a multicultural arts agency specializing in brand management, content and experiential marketing, artist relations, event production, influencer marketing, and fan engagement. At present, The Strivers Row continues to produce original films, online video content, and live events at the intersection of literary art and musical performance.
AdaptATION LAB
The Adaptation Lab is an initiative that works to bring together writers, engineers, and students interested in working across genres. Our work takes the form of a two-part program.
The first component of the program is a month-long retreat held at MIT in the month of July: this serves as a space for writers and film and television industry professionals to collaborate. Adaptation Lab Fellows will each submit applications in advance of coming to Cambridge to work on film and television projects—each adapted from a classical or contemporary work of literature—that they want to see live another life on-screen. This cohort, while in residence here in Massachusetts, will offer one another creative support on their projects in a weekly workshop setting. Each participant is also paired with a mentor, and will have the chance to be in direct conversation with visiting speakers throughout the summer.
