How poetry is making a rebellious comeback via social media

Glamorous, rebellious and armed with social media, this is the face of poetry in 2019. When “Insta Poets” share their work on Instagram, Millennials around the world listen. Here’s why.

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Forget William Blake and John Keats — poetry has found its new poster child in a generation of young, tech-savvy writers who know how to connect with their audiences, in 140 characters or less.

Dubbed “Insta Poets”, when writers Atticus, Beau Taplin and Lang Leav share their work through social media, Millennials around the world listen.

Sticklers of traditional poetry may be perplexed by the allure of these writers. They command millions of Instagram followers, sell merchandise and publish books — but they also break the fundamental conventions of English language poetry.

Social media sensations like RM Drake, Rupi Kaur and Nayyirah Waheed write short-form poetry, generally only a few lines that can easily be mistaken for a quote, written strictly in lower case with no capitals.

Indian Canadian poet Rupi Kaur has become a social media sensation by sharing her poetry snippets.

Dymocks national fiction category manager Kate Mayor says it’s this rebellion against an art form that has traditionally been reserved for the elite that makes poetry a hot topic in 2019.

Poems are certainly selling, but they look nothing like Eliot, Shakespeare or Wordsworth.

“These poets understand the visual package. Their work is stunning and shareable … Millennials think visually and these poets tap into that,” she tells BW Magazine.

“We have a perception that poetry is dense but the Millennial population has completed changed that by creating it with the frame of social media in mind.

“I think there is a lot of support for this kind of poetry … I can’t think of another writer in my time with the kind of influence Rupi Kaur has.”

Mayor is right — “The Rupi Effect” is undeniable. The 26-year-old Canadian writer and illustrator is the most recognisable face of the poetry revolution.

Kaur sold more than 2.5 million copies of her debut collection Milk And Honey worldwide and remained on The New York Times Best Seller List for more than a year. She followed it with The Sun And Her Flowers in 2017 — which earned similar acclaim.

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Mayor says Dymocks sold about 50,000 copies of both her books — especially to young fans.

Kaur is also shattering the image of what a poet is. She’s been on the cover of Cosmopolitan, was interviewed by Jimmy Fallon and her Instagram — which is followed by celebrities like Dua Lipa and Lily James — is littered with shots of her in couture outfits, captured by a photographer who accompanies her on sold-out spoken word poetry tours around the world.

One such tour brought the poet to the Bankstown Poetry Slam for the Sydney Writers’ Festival in 2017.

Sara Mansour co-founded the slam in 2012 and it has since become the go-to destination for young poetry lovers.

“I came up with the idea around the end of 2012 because I was really into spoken word poetry and attending events but they were always in the inner west or the city and I found it hard to commute living in Western Sydney,” she says.

“We’ve had thousands of young people involved in more than 55 free slams over the past six years.

“It’s a really accessible art form because you don’t have to conform to any poetry conventions. You can talk about whatever you want.”

Mansour explains the slam night is divided into two parts: for the first half, 15 spoken word poets battle it out in a competition. In the second half, a seasoned poet comes on stage to read out a set of their work.

It’s fun, dynamic and addictive but Mansour says it serves the great purpose of discussing taboo topics.

“People feel that they can express themselves about things that challenge the norm and break stereotypes. You do find people that are, for example, Muslims addressing homophobia in their communities, or people from a South Asian background talking about the obsession with European beauty standards,” she says.

“Sometimes it’s just some random Arab guy that just wants to talk about love and so without even thinking about it, he’s breaking stereotypes.”

Mansour has also started the Real Talk program through which the Bankstown Poetry Slam host poetry workshops with Year 9 and 10 students across Sydney high schools.

“Last year we worked with over 200 students across 13 high schools … It was an overwhelming response and they said it helped them express themselves better,” she says.

Western Sydney poets Mohammad Awad, Aishah Ali and Zainab Kadhim at the Bankstown Arts Centre. Picture: Jonathan Ng

Aishah Ali, 19, is among the poets who perform regularly at the slam. The law and political science student uses her poetry as a creative outlet for her political views.

The Hinchinbrook local started writing in 2015 when she was finishing high school and hopes to one day publish a book.

“Having an inherently political identity and consuming so much academia and politics and news, I explore identity, womanhood and mental health,” she says.

“I also send out poetry through my social media — you know how Rupi Kaur has poetry and images, the same thing.”

Social demographer Claire Madden says with the rise of social media its become easier for young artists to express themselves.

“Social media has seen a rise of individual self-expression and poetry is a powerful medium for communicating emotion and storytelling … (today’s youth) are tapping into that,” she says.

“Screens are social risk reducers and they add a comfort zone … they feel like they are in control of the message a lot more (and) they don’t feel as vulnerable in expressing who they are.”

Originally published as How poetry is making a rebellious comeback via social media