so glad you wrote about this, instapoetry (especially that one u included here abt being hurt 217 times and those that are basically just tweets) is the bane of my existence
this is so well written and a necessary conversation because i personally believe that the focus on sounding aesthetic or delivering the perfect social media sized bite has diluted the quality of creativity. the kind of insta poetry that DID work e.g. rupi kaur did so because you could tell it was genuine
I bite my tongue often when I see Instapoems because my poetry isn't great either, but I can't lie a piece of me dies when I see an entire book of "he left me on read💔" getting hundreds of thousands of likes
I kept nodding my head while reading this. Thank you so much for pointing this out! I have felt like this for so long. I think people like Rupi Kaur and Diego Perez (Yung Pueblo), are just really good at marketing. I do not consider this, in any way poetry. Maybe this is holding on to the past and not embracing newer generations. But to call it poetry? Call me old but compare their work to Walt Whitman, Oscar Wilde, Bukowski and so on, IG poetry is just silly little quotes.
in the past rupi's words have definitely resonated with me in part because of their accessibility. but i see a lot of instapoetry as blindly meaninglessly copying that approach, without adding their own flair and forgetting why it worked in the first place.
like someone else said, a lot of these imitations just read like tweets and lack the genuine artistry of poetry in general. often just coming off as short and shallow lines saying something generally agreeable, in a really unremarkable way, which i guess would be fine if to be surface level was the intention. in short, i agree for the most part! i don't hate them at all but i don't like them either lol
I agree 100% ! Some are good and relateable but it also gets repetitive. And many lack depth. I definitely resonate with your last sentence. I dont hate them all but i dont like them either 🤣
I agree with you! sometimes a short little poem on my feed brightens my day! and there is much to be said for the quote "imitation is the sincerest form of flattery"
In the words of William Logan, when discussing the works of TikTok poet Whitney Hanson, "Readers so easily satisfied never want poetry more demanding and don’t really understand what poetry is for—that is, to chasten and subdue."
I've filmed my own TikToks critiquing poets on the platform, and I feel as though those people are more concerned with the performance rather than the words. They keep it simple and shallow so they and their audience can easily project themselves onto the writing. Hell, you can hardly call it writing when they don't even show the words; they're reading from a script.
Many call those barebones poems "accessible," but the intention of the poem reads more as digestible. It's all easy-peasy, no challenge. And the audience, many of whom don't know any better, celebrates (which prompts these creators to keep pushing out similar content). This poetry is bought and sold like we're at the flea market on a Saturday afternoon. Give it a spit shine and a smile, and suddenly the customer just needs to have it. Both parties are convinced they're getting a lot out of it.
Realized I'm dragging this out a tad too much, but anyways, never settle in your reading or writing. Attend those workshops.
accessible via digestible, that’s a great distinction. lots of good poems are easy to understand at first pass while still having more substance and if you were to read it a few more times you’ll find even more waiting for you.
Excellent piece! Honestly I also think it’s changed people’s relationship with reading in that they don’t have the capacity to read longer forms of written work.
i believe noor unnahar is a good example of this. her first book (yesterday i was the moon) had all the flaws of insta poetry, but her second (new names for lost things) was a huge step up and it really defined the potential of that genre for me.
as someone who writes "simpler" poems, i am always wondering if i fall under the "insta poetry" category and how i can do better. your point about good poetry being deliberate and thoughtful is comforting in that aspect.
I can count how many times I have cringed because of instapoems. But, I never saw it as a problem since there is no a Bible of writing or a distinct part towards writing any piece.
so glad you wrote about this, instapoetry (especially that one u included here abt being hurt 217 times and those that are basically just tweets) is the bane of my existence
Agree!! They all seem to he about the same things and read like texts id send my best friends lol
EXACTLY HAHAHA and im not calling those poems!!
this is so well written and a necessary conversation because i personally believe that the focus on sounding aesthetic or delivering the perfect social media sized bite has diluted the quality of creativity. the kind of insta poetry that DID work e.g. rupi kaur did so because you could tell it was genuine
I bite my tongue often when I see Instapoems because my poetry isn't great either, but I can't lie a piece of me dies when I see an entire book of "he left me on read💔" getting hundreds of thousands of likes
I kept nodding my head while reading this. Thank you so much for pointing this out! I have felt like this for so long. I think people like Rupi Kaur and Diego Perez (Yung Pueblo), are just really good at marketing. I do not consider this, in any way poetry. Maybe this is holding on to the past and not embracing newer generations. But to call it poetry? Call me old but compare their work to Walt Whitman, Oscar Wilde, Bukowski and so on, IG poetry is just silly little quotes.
I like to think this is why I haven’t had much success with my poetry on Instagram or TikTok 😂
This ⚡️⚡️
This!! 😭 when Drake came out with a ‘poetry’ book I fainted
hahaha i totally forgot about drake’s poetry
in the past rupi's words have definitely resonated with me in part because of their accessibility. but i see a lot of instapoetry as blindly meaninglessly copying that approach, without adding their own flair and forgetting why it worked in the first place.
like someone else said, a lot of these imitations just read like tweets and lack the genuine artistry of poetry in general. often just coming off as short and shallow lines saying something generally agreeable, in a really unremarkable way, which i guess would be fine if to be surface level was the intention. in short, i agree for the most part! i don't hate them at all but i don't like them either lol
I agree 100% ! Some are good and relateable but it also gets repetitive. And many lack depth. I definitely resonate with your last sentence. I dont hate them all but i dont like them either 🤣
I agree with you! sometimes a short little poem on my feed brightens my day! and there is much to be said for the quote "imitation is the sincerest form of flattery"
my god, thank you for writing this. i’ve been in hysterics for years over this.
Ya... it's pretty much all dumpster fire trend fodder for people who forgot where the library is.
But my poetry is ashes in the wind too, so who am I to judge what makes a person feel.
We need that feeling today, so I accept it all as valid expression.
And all there is to do is play along as if you planned the whole thing
In the words of William Logan, when discussing the works of TikTok poet Whitney Hanson, "Readers so easily satisfied never want poetry more demanding and don’t really understand what poetry is for—that is, to chasten and subdue."
I've filmed my own TikToks critiquing poets on the platform, and I feel as though those people are more concerned with the performance rather than the words. They keep it simple and shallow so they and their audience can easily project themselves onto the writing. Hell, you can hardly call it writing when they don't even show the words; they're reading from a script.
Many call those barebones poems "accessible," but the intention of the poem reads more as digestible. It's all easy-peasy, no challenge. And the audience, many of whom don't know any better, celebrates (which prompts these creators to keep pushing out similar content). This poetry is bought and sold like we're at the flea market on a Saturday afternoon. Give it a spit shine and a smile, and suddenly the customer just needs to have it. Both parties are convinced they're getting a lot out of it.
Realized I'm dragging this out a tad too much, but anyways, never settle in your reading or writing. Attend those workshops.
accessible via digestible, that’s a great distinction. lots of good poems are easy to understand at first pass while still having more substance and if you were to read it a few more times you’ll find even more waiting for you.
Excellent piece! Honestly I also think it’s changed people’s relationship with reading in that they don’t have the capacity to read longer forms of written work.
i agree, which concerns me for the future.
This would make sense considering we are actively having a literacy crisis (coming from a teacher. The kids dont know how to read!!!)
Most modern poetry has all the depth of a mud puddle.
i believe noor unnahar is a good example of this. her first book (yesterday i was the moon) had all the flaws of insta poetry, but her second (new names for lost things) was a huge step up and it really defined the potential of that genre for me.
as someone who writes "simpler" poems, i am always wondering if i fall under the "insta poetry" category and how i can do better. your point about good poetry being deliberate and thoughtful is comforting in that aspect.
I can count how many times I have cringed because of instapoems. But, I never saw it as a problem since there is no a Bible of writing or a distinct part towards writing any piece.
We all flow to the direction of our creativity.
I think the main problem with instapoetry is precisely its "insta" aspect.
To me, it feels like trying to mass produce something to promote and sell it as a content. People are making an easy product, not an art work.