How the Internet Transformed the World of Custom Poetry

Sites like Etsy and Instagram are remaking a classic artistic hustle

Illustrations: Shira Inbar

“Don’t believe those people who say being a poet isn’t lucrative.”

That’s Eric Vance Walton, a writer who composes custom poetry for clients. His business stretches back to the 1990s, before bespoke everything — shampoo, perfume…