shades fills you in

Poetry is back! At least, so says Inside-Hook. Social media is giving it new life while also sparking debate about what “real” poetry is

Many call this new wave “Instapoetry”. People like it because it’s easy to understand and relate to -- writeordietribe.com

But, is it *real* poetry? Poet Thom Young calls it “fidget-spinner poetry” -- because it doesn’t make you think. Readers are missing out on “the real craft”

Scroll.in wonders if Instapoetry minimizes the impact of words. Reading poetry is about slowness and patience, and both are in short supply with mobile-optimized poetry

And this Substacker doesn’t think Instapoetry is poetry at all. It’s full of cheap platitudes and is all about validating feelings, not exploring them

But Barnstorm-Journal is a defender. Just because the language is simple doesn’t mean there isn’t depth. Remember Langston Hughes’ famous poem about peaches?

And like it or not, people are reading *and* writing poetry more and more. Former Poet Laureate Joy Harjo thinks it’s a balm in times of crisis and unrest

CS Monitor says there are two main reasons poetry is in: Pandemic loneliness and Amanda Gorman. After Gorman spoke at Biden’s inauguration, poetry got a huge boost. And that’s a great thing!

CNN says poets of color are leading the way. Poetry explores the complexities of identity without boxing people in -- it’s a safe space for those on the fringes of society

Ok, so who are these Instapoets anyway? One is New Republic’s “Writer of the Decade”, Canadian poet Rupi Kaur. She’s the face of poetry’s evolution

Read some of her most popular poems here

And for a deep dive into poetry’s archives, check out Poems.org