– blog entry three (week 14) –
After reading the superbly written article by Faith Hill and Karen Yuan titled How Instagram Saved Poetry, I have developed quite a few opinions on the matter. The article was published on October 15th of this year on The Atlantic website and since then has had a wide variety of readers sharing and commenting their opinions on the matter.
The idea of poets moving to Instagram to share and gain recognition for their work honestly doesn’t surprise me. Social media is growing rapidly and has already become a vital part in many people’s everyday lives, including mine. To many, Instagram is only seen as a way of sharing photos and communicating with friends. However, i would consider promoting yourself as a poet on this kind of platform as entrepreneurial and pure genius. By doing this you are turning your chosen hobby and art form of poetry into a business and career to support yourself, whilst still doing what you’re passionate about. This ultimately means that the poetry industry has changed, and now poetry can quite clearly be seen as a career opportunity. I think that by promoting your poems through Instagram, you are acting on smart terms, as there are such wide varieties of people on the social media app who would show great interest in your work.
A good example of Instagram poetry success that this article also mentions is Rupi Kaur. It has brought her worldwide fame and acclaim. “Her first collection, milk & honey, has been translated into 40 languages and has sold 3.5 million copies, stealing the position of best-selling poetry book from The Odyssey.” If this is not a great achievement then i don’t know what is. Her poetry is beautiful, relatable and simplistic, creating a perfect basis for her ever growing fame. As a casual reader of her poetry, i have included some of my favourite extracts of hers.
Poetry has had its break, but now it is continuing to expand, grow and flourish in many exciting different places, “During last February’s New York Fashion Week, the designer Tracy Reese had models strut to poetry readings on the catwalk,” and forms, “12 of the top 20 best-selling poets last year were Insta-poets.” Some of the newfound ways of incorporating poetry in our lives, specifically in fashions shows, are so extravagant that’s its word for me to believe.
The word poetry originates from the Greek word poesis, which means the process of creation, of composition, of production. “From the very beginning, the art was tied to the labor. Now, because of a movement of rookie poets on the internet, it is reaping its rewards.” I personally believe that this would be immensely uplifting for aspiring poets as many have an undeniable talent for the art form. I’m glad that now people are being rewarded for their accomplishments.
xo Letissia
(ps. all quotes included have been sourced from the article; ‘How Instagram Saved Poetry’)
Aspire English Poetry Blog 