Written by Annastatia Brooks

Thumbnail & Banner Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

Poetry has adapted and evolved throughout the centuries, developing from handwritten love letters to pressing the share button on Instagram. The question is: have we lost the art of poetics as the written word migrated to the internet? Have we killed poetry, or is it thriving in its metamorphosed form?

Poetry was once recognized as tales of travelers in Chaucer’s “The Canterbury Tales”, ballads of heroes slaying dragons in Spenser’s “The Faerie Queene”, Shakespeare's famously heartfelt sonnets, and odes to nature during the Romantic era. Now, something that what was once so familiarly magical and passionate has become something of an online craze manifested as simple free-verse social media posts and spoken word poetry.

Poets such as Whitney Hansen, Lucas Jones, and Joey Kidney have taken to social media to advertise their poetic works through Instagram. They innovatively utilize an online platform to promote their work to the world by recording readings of their poems, sharing them on their stories, filming reels, or posting images of their poems. Despite the boundaries that the format creates, these poets still move readers and touch people, no matter where life may find them. On the bus, at home after a hard day at work, before class, anywhere, everywhere, their poems are much more accessible (and affordable) in this evolved form.

Personally, I stumbled across these poets by complete accident while mindlessly scrolling, and it led me to dive into their works, eventually going on to buy a copy of Hansen’s “Home”. That’s right: poets with an online presence are not constrained to social media; they actually thrive because of it. Hansen recently released her third book, "Climate", which she advertises on her Instagram page, and Jones has just published his poetry collection "(Sorry I Was Miles Away) In the Year of Romance", which you can check out on his Instagram. People all over the world can read their words on a screen for free, or purchase a hard copy to keep with them throughout their lives.

Photo of Whitney Hansen by Maddie Baldinelli on penguinrandomhouse.com

I am of the opinion that, though unconventional, social media has expanded the world of poetry. By connecting with readers on a scale never before seen, spoken-word poetry has actually taken off in popularity. Authors like Hansen have become insanely successful due to their online platforms. I am constantly struck by the effects of spoken poetry; online poets portray their work using a unique method, emphasizing surprising syllables and staring into the camera in such an intimate way that viewers feel a previously unfelt one-on-one connection with the author. I wish cameras existed back in Wordsworth’s day so that he could record readings of his work in order to portray the mood and tone he originally intended. This is not to say that readers cannot have their own interpretation of a poem, but it is a privilege in today’s society to be able to hear poetry from the mouth of the poet.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, spoken word poetry made readily available by the internet survived, and even thrived, amidst the scenes of post-apocalyptic destruction. Especially during a time of such uncertainty, when tomorrow hardly seemed promised to us, poetry was valued. To me, it was a lifeline, both writing and reading it, as the world fell down around us.

What I have found most stirring about online poetry, though, is its reach. The internet is an incomprehensibly vast space that is relatively accessible to billions of users. Whether in a recording studio or sitting in their car, these online poets are changing lives through a screen every day.

Other influencers, such as Thomas Sullivan and Andy Min, creators of the We Love You Instagram page, make poetry through visuals, music, and words. Their stunning and vibrant videography skills, paired with deep words of encouragement and reflection, are poems in their own way. In these modern times, poems are more than just words. The combination of meticulously framed shots and moving original music is poetry in itself. Before the invention of the video camera, this was something that could only be quietly observed by inquisitive children with an eye for beauty, like L.M. Montgomery’s Anne Shirley. Now it can be shared with the world.

Videographers such as Desiree Moore, known as Darling Desi on YouTube, have mastered long-form videography. She creates intricate, meticulously edited videos akin to short films, rich with colorful and seasonal images paired with a gentle voiceover. Her work, whether she be narrating a clip of her daily life or quoting her favorite authors, brings a sense of poetry to the internet in another unique way.

In my personal experience as a poet, social media has been essential for marketing and advertising my work. When I began working as a journalist for the SMU Journal, I created a professional Instagram account for publishing my articles and for poetry publications in literary magazines. My poems get more reach when I use Instagram because I can make reels and post on my story, sharing my poems with people outside my immediate circle. It also helps people to know what I do and what I can create.

Though poetry looks completely different from what it once was, it is poetry nonetheless. It is images, it is videography, it is song, it is voice, and it is constantly evolving so that it can thrive in the present day. Far-reaching, accessible, and beautiful evermore, poetry lives on despite the changing times, and I am of the opinion that it always will.

Is Poetry Evolving to Survive or to Thrive?

FOLLOW US