The eNotes Blog 19 Insta-Poets You Need toKnow

19 Insta-Poets You Need toKnow It’s official: we’re living in the â€Å"age of the Insta-poet.† The â€Å"Insta-poet† is defined as a  young poet who publishes verse primarily on social media. With social media’s dominance in our ever-evolving digital world, it’s not surprising to hear that Instagram, alongside various other social media platforms, is contributing to the success of aspiring artists. While there are undoubtedly many pros and cons involving social media, it has granted individuals the opportunity to showcase their works and make intimate connections with global audiences. In fact, almost half (47 percent) of poetry books sold in the U.S. last year were written by Insta-poets and  twelve of the top 20-bestselling poetry authors in 2017 were Insta-poets.   With over 2.5 million Instagram followers, twenty-five-year-old Rupi Kaur is the most notable and successful of these Insta-poets. She has achieved rare, mainstream success since the release of her 2016 debut poetry collection, milk and honey, which sold over 2.5 million copies worldwide, outselling all other poetry books in 2016 and 2017. Her poems are simple and personal, exploring themes of womanhood, racism, and self-love. Kaur is just one of the many Insta-poets who’ve received book deals through the promotion of their work across their social media profiles. While some may feel that this new-wave style of contemporary poetry is breaking the mold of the traditional genre and lacks quality writing, others note that social media is allowing artists’ work to be more accessible than ever before. Social media is allowing these poets to share their work with the millennial audiences that value diversity and self-expression. Libraries and bookstores are now dedicating specific sections to â€Å"Instagram poetry. Insta-poetry is drastically changing the landscape of the genre and it’s safe to say that it’s only going to continue to grow. Were featuring 19 Insta-poets you need to know right now. 1. Rupi Kaur View this post on Instagram larger than life A post shared by rupi kaur (@rupikaur_) on Mar 6, 2018 at 7:42pm PST 2. Nikita Gill 3. Atticus View this post on Instagram In Dusk #atticuspoetry #atticus #dusk #forever #love A post shared by ATTICUS (@atticuspoetry) on Apr 5, 2018 at 5:02am PDT 4. R.M Drake 5. Lang Leav View this post on Instagram New poem ðŸâ€" ¤ #langleav #poetry #love A post shared by Lang Leav (@langleav) on Mar 31, 2018 at 5:19pm PDT 6. Tyler Knott Gregson View this post on Instagram Typewriter Series #2191 by Tyler Knott Gregson #tylerknott #love #haiku #wanderlust #poetry #photooftheday #typewriterseries #follow #beautiful #instagood #picoftheday #tylerknottgregson #poem #writers #typewriterseries #writersofinstagram #writersofig #poet #poetsofinstagram A post shared by Tyler Knott Gregson (@tylerknott) on Mar 27, 2018 at 5:48pm PDT 7.  Nayyirah Waheed 8. Christopher Poindexter View this post on Instagram Yes. #christopherpoindexter hand typed and signed poems available through link in bio ðŸÅ' ¹ A post shared by Christopher Poindexter (@christopherpoindexter) on Apr 7, 2018 at 5:18pm PDT 9. Pavana 10. Amanda Lovelace 13. Gareth Egan 14. Amanda Torroni View this post on Instagram 2/30 TURNING WATER INTO WHISKEY A post shared by Amanda Torroni (@amandatorroni) on Apr 2, 2017 at 4:10pm PDT 15. Alfa View this post on Instagram If you have my books #AbandonedBreaths or #SilentSquall please tag me #alfapoet so I can find them 💙💙💙💙 They are also Available in paperback on amazon. And through Barnes Noble, Book Depository, and more. _____ 💔💔💔💔💔 https://goo.gl/oJvjFD #alfawrites #alfa #alfapoet #quotes #tattoo #poetry #poet #signs #aqua _______________ @alfa.poet @alfa.poet @alfa.poet A post shared by Alfa Holden (@alfa.poet) on Mar 22, 2018 at 10:49am PDT 16. Beau Taplin View this post on Instagram ðŸÅ' ²Ã°Å¸Å' ²Ã°Å¸Å' ² my book Bloom is now available on Amazon, in Barnes Noble, and all good bookstores worldwide x. Love Beau A post shared by B E A U T A P L I N (@beautaplin) on Mar 20, 2018 at 2:23pm PDT 17. MvDarklight View this post on Instagram From The Rattling Grave by @mvdarklight Available Now!! Link in my about me. #mvdarklight A post shared by MVDARKLIGHT (@mvdrklt) on Dec 18, 2017 at 9:29am PST 18. Yrsa Daley-Ward View this post on Instagram From ‘bone.’ A post shared by Yrsa Daley-Ward (@yrsadaleyward) on Feb 28, 2018 at 5:40pm PST 19. Orenda View this post on Instagram be honest with yourself. @poetrybyorenda | part of my you must know me by now series // i started watching shameless and holy, why am i just getting into this now? its amazing. _ thank you for reading. A post shared by orenda (@poetrybyorenda) on Oct 29, 2017 at 5:02pm PDT Regardless of one’s stance on the matter of social media-infused poetry, there is no denying that Instagram poetry is present and will only continue to grow as long as there is an audience welcoming it. Ultimately, if poetry is art and art is subjective, then who’s to say what’s considered poetry and what’s not? (Featured Image via Unsplash.com)